A place to prepare a hot meal, wash clothes, log on to the internet, store personal belongings, and access clear information are all deemed essential, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

A campaign group is calling on Enfield Council to “fix the five basics” as part of a mission to improve temporary accommodation (TA) across London.

Better TA Alliance, an informal collection of grassroots organisations and charities, has launched a campaign to “improve the wellbeing of TA residents”.

Although Enfield Council recently ended its use of hotels to house people seeking emergency shelter, around 3,000 local households continue to live in other types of TA, and some can spend as many years as 20 years in this type of accommodation as they wait to find a permanent home, such as social housing.

Leila Baker, a researcher working for the Better TA Alliance, spoke at an event on Friday (24th) held at Green Towers Community Centre in Edmonton.

The meeting was held in partnership with the charity London Gypsies and Travellers, which is also a member of the alliance.

Spelling about the five basics the campaign is calling on councils to fix, Leila said: “They are intended to be five basic amenities that we all need in our day-to-day life, that are regularly used in TA. There’s plenty of things we could be talking about today, we could talk about flooring or furniture, but these are five things that many people have in common.

“These are things we can say to councils ‘you can crack on with tomorrow’, they don’t need to wait, that’s why they’ve been chosen.

“It’s having a place to prepare a hot meal; a way to wash clothes that is affordable; reliable, free internet; somewhere to store personal belongings; and clear information such as updates on rights and move-on plans.

“So the Better TA Alliance has taken a keen interest in TA in Enfield and the ways the council and advocacy groups can work together to achieve change.

“No-one intended to create this situation, but this is the situation we’re in and it feels urgent.”

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.