A homeless mother has spoken of her misery after Havering Council suggested she move to Bradford.

It is the second time the Recorder has seen evidence of Havering asking families to forego their local support networks and move far outside the borough.

In December we reported how a family left homeless by a house fire was asked to look up to 60 miles outside Havering.

Now another family has been asked to consider moving more than 200 miles away to Bradford.

The council has previously admitted it is struggling to rehouse local families in the borough.

Rising costs mean landlords selling up or upping rents – but government caps on how much councils can pay in rent haven’t risen.

This week, London Councils reported that under five per cent of properties are now below the government rent caps.

Last month Adenike Ajayi, her three children and her elderly mother were evicted from Havering Council’s Abercrombie House hostel in Harold Hill.

Abercrombie House is set to be demolished and replaced with a new homeless centre.

Romford Recorder: The Romford Recorder was on the scene when Adenike Ajayi and her family were evicted from Abercrombie House last monthThe Romford Recorder was on the scene when Adenike Ajayi and her family were evicted from Abercrombie House last month (Image: Charles Thomson)

Since their eviction, the family has been moved to a new property every week.

On March 8, Havering emailed Adenike: “Please note the email address of letting agency with properties available in Bradford for you to explore.”

Adenike is midway through a social work degree in Chelmsford, is a care worker in a Havering nursing home and her children attend Romford schools.

“I really do not understand them (the council),” she said. “I’m working on top of being a full-time student. They should not make my life miserable like this.”

The council claims that as Adenike “rejected” the first property she was offered, she is “no longer eligible for a home through the housing register”.

Adenike said the property happened to be at the same location where she was once violently mugged, and she was taken to A&E with a panic attack after the viewing.

Havering said it was still “providing emergency accommodation and working with the family to help them find a new home.”

“During this process the council has suggested areas in the country where private rented housing is more affordable and where the resident is more likely to find a suitable home,” said Labour’s Paul McGeary, cabinet member for housing.

“We understand this is a difficult situation for Ms Ajayi and we will continue to support the family with their search.”