MOST people would think of them as beds in homeless hostels.

But The Press can reveal today how, according to official statistics, each bed at the replacement Arclight and Peasholme hostels is actually an “affordable home”.

Of the 151 new affordable homes which City of York Council claims were completed in 2008/9, 35 were beds at the Arclight in Clarence Street, which replaced the old Arclight in Leeman Road.

Of 146 affordable homes which the authority predicted would be completed in 2009/10, 22 were beds at the new hostel in Fishergate, which replaced the old one in Peasholme.

Matthew Laverack, the architect who uncovered the statistics through a Freedom Of Information request, has now made a formal complaint to council chief executive Kersten England, claiming the figures are a “disgraceful attempt to bump up the apparent provision of affordable homes” and demanding an apology.

He said that “by no stretch of the imagination” could a bunk in a homeless hostel be regarded as an affordable home, as defined by the Planning Acts.

He said: “Even if the council wished to forward the spurious argument that hostels provide a ‘sort of low cost accommodation’, they would not count towards housing provision anyway, because in both cases they are replacement buildings and not new provision. Whichever way it was viewed, this action was unjustified and reprehensible.”

He said the figures had been used by housing development manager Andy Kerr in a letter to The Press in February, in response to an article which revealed a dramatic slump in the provision of affordable housing in York.

Mr Kerr said the 151 new homes completed in 2008/09 had been a significant increase on the previous years, at a time when affordable completions across the region had fallen significantly.

Mr Laverack said the manager had made no reference to the figure including homeless hostel beds, and said he may refer the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman if his complaint was not satisfactorily resolved.


Council outlines provision rules

CITY of York Council said today that provision for homeless people – such as the Arclight Centre and Peasholme hostels – was classed by the Homes And Communities Agency as affordable housing.

Steve Waddington, head of housing services, said the statistics provided through the Freedom Of Information request gave details of all affordable housing completions through a wide range of initiatives.

He said: “They include homes secured under planning gain policy, at both the 25 per cent target and more recent 50 per cent targets, developments of 100 per cent affordable housing funded through Government grants, supported housing and homes for low cost home ownership as well as rent. The affordable housing statistics are agreed with the Government office and follow Government guidance for gross rather than net increases in affordable housing.”