News

The chair of the Commission for Racial Equality has accused councils of "straightforward discrimination" in housing allocations for people from ethnic minority communities.

Trevor Phillips made the comment last week, after a study by Shelter revealed that families from ethnic minorities are six times more likely to be living in overcrowded housing than white households.

He said evidence suggested that most councils were still not making their services "accessible" and many ethnic minority groups did not know how to approach them.


This is despite legislation requiring public bodies to introduce race equality schemes from 2001.

The research showed nearly a million children in England are living in overcrowded housing leading to the spread of infections and the break-up of families.

The charity is urging the government to build more family-size homes to get low-income families out of the poverty trap. The worst affected areas are in London where almost one in three children live in cramped social housing.


l The number of households in temporary accommodation is set to reach in "excess of 100,000", revealed the former head of the government's bed and breakfast unit.

Ashley Horsey said quarterly figures due to be released before Christmas "will be highly politically embarrassing for ministers".

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said figures were still being collected from councils.