Lib Dems Visit 'Wild West' of Meath Court
Demand action after being shocked by reports from residents
Cllrs Gary Busuttil, Jon Ball, Gary Malcolm and Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Alastair Mitton with residents on Meath Court
October 5, 2023
Local Liberal Democrats are calling for action from Ealing Council over the shipping container estate in Acton after saying that they were shocked about what they saw and heard during a recent visit.
Cllr Gary Malcolm, the Leader of the Opposition on the council went to Meath Court on 30 September along with his fellow councillors Gary Busuttil, Jon Ball, Gary Malcolm and Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Alastair Mitton.
Residents told them that an attempted murder and an attempted rape had taken place at the site and that drug dealing had become endemic.
Afterwards the politicians described the experience as being like a trip to the lawless “Wild West” and demanded the decommissioning of the housing after hearing about a large range of issues affecting the site leaving many residents feeling trapped and unsafe.
The Liberal Democrats want the council to urgently make urgent repairs and changes including having proper on-site management until Meath Court can be decommissioned and its residents secured alternative accommodation. They point out that many rooms have no fire doors or alarms.
Back in 2017 Meath Court was built as temporary solution for emergency accommodation, on a site earmarked for long term development as a park in 2024. It was hoped that the modular easy build homes would provide a short-term fix for the borough’s housing shortage.
However, five years later it remains in place with many residents having been there for an extended period and claiming that it has become a haven for drug dealing, antisocial behaviour and that it is not fit for human habitation.
Broken windows and litter at Meath Court
Liberal Democrat Councillors Gary Malcolm, Jon Ball and Gary Busuttil listened while residents told them of their experiences of unsafe living conditions including cockroach infestations, mould, rusting stairs, loose panels, strangers asleep in the laundry room and walkways, people gaining access to the complex, people having sex in public areas, violence, drug dealing and most recently live ammunition has been found on the site.
Cllr Ball, Opposition Spokesperson on Planning and Housing said, “When Meath Court was built in 2017 to house almost 300 people in emergency accommodation of converted shipping containers it was located in Hope Gardens and signalled a new approach. Now 5 years later it seems that the hope of a new dawn for emergency accommodation has collapsed into a lawless Wild West, acting as a magnet for antisocial behaviour, violence, drug issues amongst other issues which now needs to be decommissioned.”
Cllr Busuttil, Deputy Leader said: “The experiment of Meath Court has failed and shows how poorly the Labour administration have managed the provision for some of the most needy and vulnerable residents – residents have been betrayed and the community in Acton has been abandoned to suffer the consequences. We heard about an attempted murder and an attempted rape on site. It is totally shameful.”
Cllr Malcolm said: “Liberal Democrats came here to listen to residents and have been shocked by the horrific stories we heard. I challenge Labour’s Peter Mason, Leader of Ealing Council, to come and meet residents, hear their experiences which will shock him and take action straight away. Labour are burying their head in the sand and not engaging with residents and families. Enough is enough. Peter Mason needs to sort out these problems.”
Meath Court
The council recently announced that a similar shipping container site elsewhere in the borough was to be closed but no announcement has been made yet on the Acton site.
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