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Motion to Tenants Council – Kill the Housing Bill

THIS TENANTS COUNCIL NOTES:

The Government’s Housing and Planning Bill means higher rents, less security and less chance of a home you can afford. The Bill:
• Makes councils sell off existing council homes
• Removes secure tenancies
• Introduces a “pay to stay” scheme for social housing tenants if two household members income is more than £30k (£40k in London)
• Means increased rents and longer waiting lists
• Reduces travellers’ rights
• Makes councils provide unaffordable “Starter Homes” instead of affordable housing for rent

The Kill the Housing Bill Campaign has already organised protests, lobbies and meetings aimed at bringing the Bill down, or making it unworkable. Walworth East Area Forum has already voted to oppose the Housing Bill and urge Southwark Council to do the same.

THIS TENANTS COUNCIL BELIEVES:

The Housing and Planning Bill will not solve the housing crisis. It will make it worse. It will force people from their homes, families and communities, into insecure private renting.
This Tenants Council calls on Southwark Council to refuse to implement the Housing Bill and in particular to:
• Not collect data on the incomes of tenants
• Not introduce higher rents for some tenants as part of the government’s pay to stay scheme, or any local variant involving a taper system
• Continue to issue secure tenancies to all new tenants
• Not sell off “high value council homes” and refuse to pay the levy imposed by the government to fund Right to Buy to housing association tenants
• Call on the Council Trade Unions to support non co-operation with the Housing Bill and resist any attempt by council chief officers or Government appointees to force through implementation
• Call on TRAs, Area Forums and SGTO to support the Council’s position of non-co-operation with the Housing Bill
• Propose a joint campaign of non-co-operation with other Councils opposed to the Bill

THIS TENANTS COUNCIL RESOLVES:

• To add its name to the Kill the Housing Bill Campaign
• To urge the delegates of Tenants Council to publicise the Kill the Housing Bill Campaign and send representatives to the organising meetings
• To urge tenants to support the national demonstration at 12pm at Lincolns Inn Fields on Sunday 13 March 2016
• To urge Area Forums and TRAs and SGTO to adopt this motion and organise local activities against the Bill.

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Sign the petition against the Housing Bill

TO: MINISTER OF STATE FOR HOUSING AND PLANNING. BRANDON LEWIS MP.

Scrap the Housing and Planning Bill, in particular:
1. Stop forcing councils to sell much needed social homes
2. Drop plans to charge higher rent to households with incomes over £30k (40k in London)
3. Retain secure tenancies
4. Scrap moves to make it easier to evict private renters, and reintroduce rent controls
5. Invest in social housing so that councils can build truly affordable homes

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

The Housing Bill will take away public funding from affordable homes for rent, instead funnelling money into ‘Starter Homes’ that only the rich can afford. It will make it easier for private landlords to evict renters, and do nothing to control private rents.

The bill will also force cash-strapped councils to hand over millions of pounds to housing associations to allow them to sell their properties cheaply, and replace secure tenancies with ones as short as 2 years

Social housing has been the bedrock of many communities for the past 70 years. It pays for itself and 30 years ago provided homes to one in three British people, allowing people and communities to thrive. We are not against people buying a home, but this must not be at the expense of social housing for those who can’t afford to buy.

Sign here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-housing-bill

 

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March Against The Housing Bill – January 30th

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ASSEMBLE 12 NOON AT IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM LAMBETH ROAD SE1 6HZ

MARCH TO CAMERON’S PUBLICLY FUNDED HOME IN DOWNING STREET FOR 2PM

The Housing Bill marks the end of social housing. The Housing Bill condemns millions more to a lifetime of insecure private renting. It is a charter for estate demolitions and property speculation driving up rents and house prices.

  • The end of secure lifetime tenancies. Council tenancies will be for 2 to 5 years with no right to pass it on to your children.
  • Landlords will have access to tenant’s personal income information and if households start to earn over £40,000 (a couple on the living wage) they will be hit with a PAY-TO-STAY TAX for the difference between their social rent and the market rent – in Waterloo that would be an average of £26,000.
  •  Local authorities will be forced to sell ‘high value’ properties whenever they come vacant – what flat in London is not high value? Housing association tenants will get the right to buy, so reducing stock further.
  •  Private renters and Travellers to have reduced housing rights.
  •  Developers will have to build ‘starter homes’ for sale instead of ‘affordable’ homes for rent. Starter homes will be worth up to £450,000 and sold at a 20% discount – but only to people with enough money to get that kind of a mortgage!

Join the march, lobby your MP, spread the word and KILL THIS BILL

Info: housingactivists.co.uk or radicalhousingnetwork.org.

To help: lambethhousingactivists@gmail.com / 07834 828 292