More than 100 housing campaigners, tenant reps, doctors and health workers, trade union members and others came and made for a brilliant day of sharing ideas, being inspired and planning action. 

See the final action plan below.  Thanks to everyone who came and/or supported the event. 

Final Action Plan:

Support and build 15 June ‘Grenfell – Never Again’ protest march in central London

Demand grant funding for existing and new council housing.

We need an enforceable right to repairs for all tenants, linked to a regular inspection regime

Housing rights must be enacted and reinforced, with extended and strengthened independent tenant organisation

Back to campaigning – street stalls and action to expose Universal Credit, empty properties, temporary accommodation, NHS- and other public land sales or other local issues

Back the Charter for Housing Action in 2019 – get wider support and extend the alliance for action

Stop the deaths due to bad housing – event at parliament date tbc

Workshop action points:

A)     Universal Credit and benefit cuts

Stop and scrap Universal Credit

Scrap the Bedroom Tax and reinstate rent controls

Campaign to take the arguments out to people (including at job centres) and challenge the culture of blame and stigma

Demand commitment to no evictions due to benefit arrears – from councils, housing associations and private landlords

Lobby Labour and others including GPs organisations, for a change of policy on benefits

We need an accessible information and welfare rights network

B)      Housing Safety after Grenfell

Support and build a demonstration in central London 15 June: especially highlight housing and health contamination issues

Extend Freedom of Information Act to cover any private contractor delivering publicly-funded services or used by public bodies, eg HAs

Promote and distribute ‘Tower Blocks UK’ safety check list and encourage local distribution to tower blocks

Bring building regulation and controls back into public hands and extend tenant control

C)      Housing insecurity and mental/physical health wellbeing

Community action – link housing and health activists; protect community

Cost of housing crisis estimated at £100-£150,000 per head.  This needs to be invested in community health, including legal advice, community action, and decent, secure,affordable homes

Stand together – Unite!

• Watch one of our guest speakers Raquel Rolnik discuss her observations of Britain’s housing crisis in her role as a former United Nations Special Rapporteur:
  https://www.facebook.com/john.orr.94617/videos/10219312329548654/

Photos courtesy of Debbie Humphry.

Our next open campaign organising meeting is on Saturday 27th April, 11am at:

Unite the Union, 33-37 Moreland St, London EC1V 8BB.  Hope to see you then.

Join us at the ‘Bad Housing Makes Us Sick’ event on March 30th in London.

This day of discussion with doctors, homeless campaigners and others will focus on how our housing problems are linked to growing mental and physical ill health. 

Raquel Rolnik, former UN Housing Rapporteur, who exposed the Bedroom Tax during her 2014 UK visit, will open the event.

She joins Guardian columnist Dawn Foster, campaigning doctors, Generation Rent, Fran Heathcote of PCS union, Deborah Garvie from Shelter, Justice for Grenfell and Ellen Clifford of Disabled People Against Cuts.

Please find the days programme here: Bad Housing Makes Us Sick programme

Time and Place of the event:

10 AM – 4PM at Unite The Union, Moreland Street, London EC1V 8BB

Workshops planned for the day include:

• Universal Credit and Benefits Cuts, What They Are and How to Fight Them
• Housing Safety After Grenfell
• Housing Insecurity and Mental Health

Let us know if you want any publicity materials, and share the Event: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/2284784081740440/?notif_t=plan_user_invited&notif_id=1551003711364794

And book your place here: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bad-housing-makes-us-sick-tickets-57316748939?utm_campaign=new_event_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eb_email&utm_term=viewmyevent_button

We look forward to seeing you there,

Grassroots campaigns are stepping up across the UK. Support local action in your area and let’s make a stand on housing justice this year.

See the latest campaigns in Southend:

https://www.facebook.com/events/397368017708243/

Luton:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/320557735238286/

East London:

https://www.facebook.com/events/2284516195166382/

Please share and support these groups and also please sign and circulate this petition objecting to Housing Association homes being sold off:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-housing-association-sell-offs?source=facebook-share-button&time=1550412004&fbclid=IwAR0YlDQTTmAB2rbrfUXU_AKhuhqs7XC5TG5QDd_OLmDRlOcexfkiEY1vYn8

Send details of any housing actions in your community you want to share and publicise. Email us or contact us on social media.

In January we welcomed the Shelter commission report ‘Building for our future – A vision for social housing’ and the recommendations for:

•       A 20 year programme of investment to build 3.1 million social homes

•       New, effective regulation of all landlords

•       Tenant organisation or tenant unions

•       Reforming private renting, including ending Section 21 evictions

We think this needs to include:

•       A clear commitment to build 100,000 council homes a year for rent at social rent with secure tenancies

We will campaign for all political parties to include a commitment to implement these recommendations, in their next election manifestos.   Alongside this, we will actively support a campaign to implement the Shelter recommendations, and push for more action – now and in the future – to ensure a society where everyone has a safe, secure home they can afford.

We will be working with TUC London East and South East to create wider support and action on this, and on the detailed action points from the Housing Summit.

If you can, come to our next organising meeting on 16th February 2019 11am at:

Unite office 

33-37 Moreland St, London EC1V 8BB 

All welcome to help organise action in 2019.  Or email any questions or suggestions.  Please see our decisions from the last meeting:

http://www.axethehousingact.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/action-points_120119.pdf

The 2018 summit was an important landmark in our on-going campaign to win safe, secure Homes for All.  About 180 people attended during the day, from a wide-range of places, campaigns and backgrounds.  We want to develop this broad-based alliance in the coming year.

2019 is bound to be one of political uncertainty.  But whatever happens, we won’t allow the housing crisis – and the millions of people who are suffering because of it – to be forgotten.  If there’s an election, we need to make sure housing is high on the agenda.

Key Campaign Points form the Safe Secure Homes for All summit 8 December 2018:

Resisting Estate Demolitions

1.    The Right to Stay Put

2.    Fair Ballots

3.    Link up campaigns on different estates

4.    End two-tier tenancies

5.    No social or ethnic cleansing

Housing Associations (HAs)

1.    Accountability to residents

2.    Democratise HAs

3.    Direct government funding for new and existing homes

4.    More campaigning and protests

Safety

1.    No combustible or toxic cladding, internal or external, on homes of all heights, with  guaranteed protection from cold while cladding and insulation are off

2.    Sprinklers on all blocks above four storeys

3.    Government to pay for all essential safety works, as promised

Private Renters

1.    Charter of Rights to include:

2.    End Section 21 evictions

3.    Secure tenancies

4.    Stop overcrowding

5.    Rent controls

Universal Credit (UC)

1.    No evictions by councils due to rent arrears caused by UC

2.    Councils to call for same commitment from HAs

3.    Build a national network of support

Investing in Council Housing

1.    Government must adopt a national investment plan

2.    Tenants must make demands on council landlords through independent organisation

Our Secure and Safe Homes Summit will take place on 8th December from 11am at:

The National Education Union, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9BD

This year’s summit will be a day of workshops and talks, with guest speakers and housing campaign groups from across the UK. It will be a space to discuss the continuing housing crisis which a specific focus on the safety of our homes and the secure, safety needs of the homes of the future.

Prospective workshops include:

• Housing Associations and safety
• Effective action
• Universal Credit, arrears and evictions
• Rents and repairs
• Private renters
• Fire safety and tower blocks
• Trade Unions and Tenants and Residents Associations

More details to follow soon. If you would like to contribute or volunteer on the day or help spread the word, please get in touch.

Support and bookings for our National Housing Summit 8 Dec are mounting  – the Fire Brigades Union, TUC London East and South East, Generation Rent and London Renters Union are the latest to confirm they are taking part.

We aim to include an extra session on the rising use of Temporary Accommodation.

Please join and share the event on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/2119289301721653/

and by email, and get in touch if you want leaflets sent to you.

This was the main focus of our lively organising meeting last Saturday, which came up with lots of action decisions – see:

http://www.axethehousingact.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/HfA_organising-meeting_101118.pdf

We’re also planning a ‘Housing and Health’ half-day event in Feb 2019  – let us know if you want to get involved in this.