Living In Council Property & Guilty Of Rioting? - Be Warned You Could Face Eviction

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Rioters must pay back communities for their "destruction and thuggery.”

 

Council leader Ravi Govindia says that young people involved in Monday’s night’s disturbances in Clapham Junction need to face the full force of the law.

As well as receiving tough sentences from the courts, Cllr Govindia also warned that anyone who lives in a council-owned flat who is convicted of involvement in the disorder could also face eviction proceedings.

Cllr Govindia, who yesterday (Tuesday 9th) visited the town centre alongside London Mayor Boris Johnson and the Home Secretary Theresa May to inspect the damage insisted it was vital that the courts imposed deterrent sentences on those who took part in the violence and looting.

And he said that those people convicted of lesser offences should be made to clear up and make reparations directly to the areas they had damaged.

Cllr Govindia said:
“The courts should have absolutely no hesitation in imposing substantial custodial sentences on the people who committed major offences on Monday night. These serious criminal acts need to be met with serious prison sentences.

“And those who are convicted of lesser offences that would not justify a custodial sentence must be made to make reparations directly to the communities they have harmed. 

He continued:
“All community punishments should be served in Clapham Junction itself. Whether it is litter picking, removing graffiti or any other form of community payback, this must be completed within the town centre itself.

“I also believe that those who are sentenced to this kind of community punishment should wear some sort of high visibility vest that identifies them as having taken part in the disturbances. In this way local people and businesses will see for themselves that justice has been meted out.”

Cllr Govindia has also instructed the council’s housing department to look at ways of evicting council tenants involved in the disorder.

People who live in council-owned accommodation must abide by a stringent list of tenancy conditions or face the prospect of losing their home. These conditions prohibit a range of activities including criminal offences.

Cllr Govindia added:
“People who live in council flats should be under no illusions about the fate that awaits them if they are found to have been involved in Monday night’s destruction and thuggery.”

August 10, 2011