Monthly Archives: March 2025

Celebrating the women of Barking hotel/Lyon house Hotel on International Women’s Day 8 March 2025

housing crisis, , , , , , , ,

Social Cleansing, overcrowding, not safe or suitable for children! Newham council shame on you!

On Saturday 8 March, Focus E15 campaign held a speak-out outside Barking Hotel, used by Newham Council to house homeless families in emergency and temporary accommodation for months at a time. 

With the women from Barking Hotel (and its extension Lyon House Hotel just up the road) we handed out flowers and leaflets about the horrifying conditions residents are subjected to in this sham accommodation, which – adding insult to injury – is raking in thousands of pounds a month for private landlords. 

Many families are homeless as the result of Section 21 no fault eviction from the private rented sector, yet they are repeatedly told to look for housing in the private rented sector.

One resident showed us the breakdown of her monthly bill, almost £900 per month, including £9.24 per week for breakfast of which there is never enough and not what some families want for breakfast.

Brimstone House, 10 Victoria Street in Stratford, Newham, was previously used by Newham Council to house homeless families as emergency and temporary accommodation. Under pressure from residents and campaigns including Focus E15, Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz eventually moved families out of what was appalling conditions for children with overcrowding, bedsharing, no space for children to grow and develop, nor do homework or have space to play.

The Barking and Lyon House Hotels show us that Newham Labour Council has never stopped this abusive practice, continuing it out of borough, an additional difficulty for families sent away from their family members, friends and support networks, schools, nurseries and workplaces.

Barking Hotel and Lyon House Hotel conditions:

  • Families are living in cramped and overcrowded conditions – children sharing beds with parents, unsafe washing for babies and toddlers with only showers, no baths, unsafe heaters in rooms where the radiators don’t work, no storage facilities in many of the rooms (shelves or cupboards), some families with young children having to walk outside to get to the kitchen.
  • Lyon House Hotel is a building site out of sight at the back (as seen in the attached photos) where they are building more and more small rooms. 
  • There are over 25 families using a kitchen with three hob rings. 
  • There are no washing machines – one resident reports spending £25 per week on week on washing her and her son’s clothes at the launderette. 
  • Families are checked up on every week with an evening knock on their room door to prove they are there, with the fear of losing their accommodation if accused of staying out.  

Residents of Lyon House Hotel told us: 

“It feels like a prison.“

“The kitchen is small, it’s not easy, seriously not easy. We are tired. It’s not suitable for children.“

“I’m pregnant and also have a 13-year-old son and we sleep in one single bed. It’s not easy for me, I have to sleep on one side. I have let the council know and they said the officer is waiting to speak to their manager. So please, I need the council to look through my case for me urgently. It’s not easy for me and it’s not good for my health.“

Freedom of Information request result

Focus E15 campaign submitted a Freedom of Information request to Newham council about Barking Hotel/Lyon House Hotel. 

The response included:

  • When residents are offered Barking Hotel but are housed in Lyon House (which is down the road) they are told it’s an extension of Barking Hotel at the time of the offer.  Not the case from those we have spoken to.
  • On average, residents live in Barking Hotel for 188 days and in Lyon House for 102 days. Well over the time frame for emergency accommodation. 
  • Both buildings are owned by two private landlords: Ms Parisa Jahanpanah and Mr Ali Kadkhodayi-Kholghi. Payments from Newham council to house homeless residents are paid as a joint sum for Barking Hotel and Lyon House to these two landlords, registered as Hungerburger Ltd/Barking Hotel. From the response received, we have calculated that in December 2024, Newham council paid these private landlords in the region of £170,000, equating to over £2m a year. 

This accommodation is not safe or suitable for children.

Families need to be moved out urgently, to decent, secure, council/social housing in areas where they have support from family and friends, in the case of most people, this is back to Newham.

Public money is cascading into private pockets…this needs to be used to reopen and refurbish council homes!

Stop social cleansing! Shame on Newham Labour Council!

No more children in Barking Hotel or Lyon House Hotel!

Long-term, safe, secure, decent council/social housing for all families now!

The struggle for housing justice goes on!

*Join us for an open, public meeting on Sat 29 March 2025 at Sylvia’s Corner (97 Aldworth Rd,E15 4DN) at 2.30pm to hear more about the Barking Hotel fiasco and the financilisation of social housing *

Housing for all on International Women’s Day!

Focus E15 Campaign, gender, housing struggles, mothers, press release, statements, women

A home is more than just four walls – it’s a place of safety, stability, and joy. But a lot of women can’t find a decent, secure place to live. From domestic violence to economic inequality, women are disproportionately affected by precarious housing, evictions, and homelessness. Local councils are letting families down, shoving them into unsafe, overcrowded, and uninhabitable temporary accommodations. And mothers are forced to raise their children in places no one should be expected to live.

At Focus E15, we fight for housing justice because everyone deserves a safe, secure, and permanent home.

Why is housing a feminist issue?

1. Women face higher risks of homelessness and housing precarity
Women, especially single moms, abuse survivors, and migrants, are way more likely to end up without a home or living in sketchy housing. They’re the first to get hit when social housing and benefits get slashed.

2. Domestic violence is the leading cause of women’s homelessness
Domestic violence is a major reason why women become homeless. Housing policies often fail to offer safe and stable options, forcing women to choose between staying in an abusive situation or being left without a home.

3. The housing system is built on gendered economic inequality
The gender pay gap and the lack of affordable childcare push many women into precarious jobs, making it harder to afford stable housing. Women are also more likely to have insecure rental contracts, be pushed into informal housing situations, or experience discrimination when seeking a home.

4. Women in temporary accommodation are trapped in permanent uncertainty
Councils and landlords ignore urgent repairs, leaving families in homes with damp, mold, and pests. Parents have to watch as their kids get sick while the authorities make excuses and delay fixing things. The hotels, hostels, and shelters often don’t have privacy, safety, or stability. Many of them aren’t even suitable for families. Women have to deal with harassment, overcrowding, and having their freedom restricted. Mothers are forced to endure terrible conditions daily just because those in power refuse to act. 

5. Women’s struggles for housing justice shape resistance
And yet, women have played a vital role in global housing struggles—from the Glasgow Rent Strikes in 1915 to contemporary feminist movements worldwide. Women have long fought for their housing rights, creating mutual aid networks and building feminist infrastructures. And we’ll do it again.

What can we do?

·         EDUCATE – Know your rights. Speak to housing support groups and campaigns.

·         ORGANISE – Connect with other women facing similar challenges. Build collective power to demand change.

·         AGITATE – Take action! Join protests, challenge unjust housing policies, and fight for long-term homes.

A feminist approach to housing means recognising that secure homes are essential for dignity, equality, and freedom for all.

Join the fight with Focus E15 Campaign.

What to join our next housing action? Email:

focuse15london (at) gmail (dot) com

You can also follow the campaign on social media:

‘Speak out’ against overcrowding and damp held in Stratford Town hall foyer after campaigners are excluded from council meeting

housing crisis, , , ,

Campaigners accuse Newham Labour council of artificially reducing the capacity of the public gallery to not face criticism on housing or austerity cuts

On the evening of Thursday 27th March, Labour council led by Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz showed its true colours – excluding the public from the full council meeting – a meeting at which they set a budget that will mean millions of pounds of cuts in services in the borough.

Only 20 members of the public were allowed in and only if they had signed in in advance. No one present could tell us when and where this information was shared with the public in advance of the meeting. The reason they gave is that the room was too small.

Given the meeting was held in the main chamber (image below), with a 400 delegates standing/ 400 theatre style capacity (according to the council’s own website) it is laughable that campaigners were given this reason to exclude them from the meeting on account of 66 councilors and others functionaries and only 20 members of the public.

FE15 believes the reality is that Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz is scared of the Newham residents who want to hold her and the council to account. This includes residents who want answers to the housing crisis – damp and mouldy and overcrowded dangerous living conditions; those living in hotel hell as Newham sends families out of borough to hotels such as Barking Hotel. This is Brimstone House, Victoria Street conditions all over again.

Focus E15 campaign was ready with letters for the Mayor and clear messages about local housing. Instead of being able to hand these over in person, they have been emailed to the Mayor.

Having been excluded brave Focus E15 campaigners, including mothers and children, held a speak out in the lobby of the Stratford Old Town Hall.

We intend to return to council meetings until housing justice is done!

Down with Newham Labour Council and their shameful anti-democratic practices!

We will not be silenced

Housing justice for all!