More than 100 evicted from Walsall homes

Housing associations operating in the borough have reported an increase in rent arrears.

On top of this, since 2014, 135 people have been evicted from their homes according to the housing associations.

Watmos Community Homes reported that it had evicted 19 people since April 2014 and had seen a 40 per cent rise in rent arrears.

Caldmore Accord Housing Association said it had seen an increase in rent arrears but did not say how many people it had evicted.

Beechdale Housing Association said it had evicted three people since 2013.

Walsall Housing Group evicted 113 people since 2014.

But the group is reporting a drop in rent arrears over the past two years. It recorded £1.9m in rental arrears in 2014/15, compared to £1.7m so far this year.

Councillor Pete Smith, who collated the figures from the housing associations, blames the increase of rent arrears on 'vicious' welfare rooms which include the bedroom tax.

He said: "More and more people are getting into 'dire straits' as a result of the vicious welfare reforms. Bedroom tax and Council tax arrears are soaring amongst those on some of the lowest incomes. Even more worrying is the creeping but growing number of evictions that social landlords in Walsall are prepared to carry out.

"What's more, the resources of the Council's Welfare Rights team and the Walsall Citizens Advice Bureau are being stretched to the limit as a result of the growing army of people who are crying out for help. That is why there must not be any attack on their budgets now or in the foreseeable future.

"All of this has not been helped by the Council's decision to slash services by a further £24m next year and raise Council tax by 4 per cent. There has to be a change of direction by Government and the pressure must come from us all to ensure that this change of direction gathers momentum. W

"e cannot wait another 4 years until the next General Election. The damage by then on ordinary people's lives will be irreversible."

Councillor Mike Bird, the leader of Walsall Council, said he would stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with councillor Smith over this issue.

He said: "I would say that Councillor Smith is 100 per cent right. I am doing my upmost to make the government aware of what the cuts are meaning to the people on the lowest incomes.

"With council tax arrears and rent arrears, it isn't that these people don't want to pay its that they can't afford to pay and that's what we need to get across to the powers that are making these cuts.

"I will stand shoulder to shoulder with Pete Smith on this one."

Walsall Housing Group's director of housing Gary Brookes said: "Our overall rent arrears are currently the lowest they have been in the history of whg.

"Although the impact of the welfare reforms is certainly being felt by some of our customers, our frontline teams put in a lot of hard work to support all customers in managing their finances.

"As well as this, we also work with customers to help them find employment or training opportunities which can eventually lead to employment.

"Unfortunately there are customers who do not pay their rent despite our best efforts to support them and this can lead to them being evicted."