Page 22 - link magazine
P. 22

NEWS & VIEWS
   22
   For Newcomers to
                                                              Gateway invites families in
   West Swindon                                           West Swindon's Gateway Super-
                                                          store welcomed parents and chil-
   Unless you have a friend willing to escort you to a community group,   dren from the West Swindon
   it can be difficult breaking into existing activities if you are new to   Family Project to their staff day
   West Swindon, or new to motherhood.                    on Sunday 11th December.
     Several groups have been setup to help new arrivals find their way   Twenty seven children and 19
   in the community. They meet on:                        adults attended the all day open-
   Mondays between 1p.m. and 230p.m. The Newcomers welcome   ing where there were clowns, free
   parents with toddlers in the Community Suite at the Link Centre.   merry-go-round rides, entertain-
   Tuesdays, 1030p.m. to midday. Arrivals Officer Pam Pixton holds   ment and a free lunch for the
   a coffee morning for anybody who needs information about West   youngsters.
   Swindon, again in the Community Suite at the Link.       "We had a wonderful day,"
   Thursday, from 10a.m. until 12 noon. There is a coffee morning in   said Bobbie French, volunteer
   The Village Inn at Shaw Village Centre for anybody who has moved   worker with the Family Project.
   to Shaw and would like to meet a neighbour.            "We would like to say a big thank
   Friday, 10.30a.m. until midday.  The Locobus mobile community   you to the manager and staff at
   centre is parked on Sparcells Drive in Sparcells. The bus is acting as   Gateway for giving the families
   a temporary meeting place for coffee and a chat until a community   an early Christmas present."
   building can be provided in the area.                     Above: Some of the youngsters who enjoyed a day out at Gateway
     Below: Friendly faces at Shaw's coffee morning in The Village Inn
                                                                        The Desperate
                                                                     Housing Dilemma

                                                          Despite a 130 name petition of objection from residents of Castleton
                                                          Road in Middleleaze, Thamesdown Council's Planning Committee
                                                          has given the go-ahead to a scheme to build 79 council houses near
                                                          Roughmoor Way in Shaw. Local councillor Tony Free considers the
                                                          problems faced bythe Council in trying to provide public housing, par-
                                                          ticularly for those left behind by market forces.
                                                          I don't intend to delve deeply  but there were half a dozen fami-
                                                          into the ethics of the sale of Coun- lies also in desperate situations
                                                          cil houses at discounts of up to  already waiting for vacancies in
                                                          50%, but it is important for people  accommodation that is only con-
                                                          to realize how we as a local coun- sidered by those in the direst need.
                                                          cil are able to spend the cash re-  As at August 1st 1988 the
                                                          ceived from the sale of Housing  Council waiting list stood at 5,390
                                                          Stock.                     with houses becoming available
                                                            You could be forgiven for the  at the rate of 950 per year which
                                                          comment "why don't you build  although horrifying enough is put
     If you need a business card,                         houses with the money you re- in perspective by the fact that the
                                                          ceive?" The answer is that we do,  Council has also received 1,368
              a newsletter or an                          but the government only allows  applications from homeless
                                                          us to spend 20% of the money we  people over the last year.
                                                          receive, i.e. in the case of a house   To fully appreciate the impact
                                                          discounted by 50% we can spend  of these figures you must realize
                                                          only 10% of thevalueof the house.  that we are referring to the num-
                                                           The cost of a starter home is  ber of applications and that the
                                                          now over £50,000 which is be- number of people affected is
                                                          yond the reach of most young  nearer to 20,000 (the population
                                                          single income couples and in fact,  of Swindon is less than 160,000).
                            /                             many two income couples, so the   The Housing Department is not
                                                          need for rented accommodation  the most popular of departments
                                                          is clear. Inability to keep up  with the public, but it should be
      We may be able to help you                          mortgage repayments is now  realised that the emotional pres-
                                                          becoming one of the main rea- sure of having to say no is so
                                                          sons for homelessness and yet  great that some of the jobs within
                                                          building societies and banks  the department have to be ro-
                             rokes                        apply more and more pressure to  tated.
                                                                                       As a Local Councillor I also am
                                                          bring people into the housing
                                                          market.                    subjected to ever increasing stress
                                                           Homelessness in Swindon has  by the depressing nature of the
                                                          now reached epidemic propor- cases I deal with, and I feel I am
                                                          tions and there is every indica- qualified to lay the blame for the
    for whenever you need to put                          tion that it will become consid- current housing situation firmly
                                                         erably worse. This fact was  at the door of this Government.
               words into print.                          brought home to me recently
                                                          when I tried to arrange emer- Tony Free is Chair of Thamesdown
                                                         gency accommodation for a  Council's Community Planning
     Telephone Swindon 872282                            couple and their children with  Committee and councillor for Tooth-
                                                          nowhere to go. Not only was the  ill Ward (including Westlea, Show
                                                         emergency accommodation full   and Sparcells).
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