EDM (Early Day Motion)286 was tabled on 06 July 2021. It says:
That this House notes with deepest regret that 8 July 2021 marks the tragic death of June Harvey after a tower crane fell on her house in Bow in 2020; further notes with sadness other fatalities as a result of crane collapses; pays tribute to the construction safety campaign, largely led by bereaved relatives and trade unions, raising concerns about the under-regulation of health and safety in the construction industry amidst a reduction in inspections and reductions in the Health and Safety Executive’s resources, particularly since 2010; and calls on the Government to ensure that legislation and guidance regulating cranes are robust and that the HSE has the resources for vigorous enforcement.
It has been signed by 13 MPs so far. You are urged to contact your MP to ask them to sign it.
Demonstrators in Wales, Leeds and Chelmsford keep up the pressure for government to end the cladding scandal
https://twitter.com/i/status/1415641741668061187
A wave of protests across the country greeted the first reading of the Building Safety Bill, which does next to nothing to help leaseholders facing life-changing bills for fire safety remediation. The Action for Fire Safety Justice group helped to coordinate the protests and pledged to continue them until their demands are met.
ITV Report from Leeds protest, with interview with Hilary Benn MP, Saturday 17 June.
The Protest in Wales on Saturday was joined by two Cardiff politicians
Meanwhile a flashmob descended on the Novello sales centre in Chelmsford, including Chelmsford TUC, where protesters were able to speak to six potential buyers and let them know that Bellway was still building homes with flammable cladding. Given that the protest was not advertised beforehand, the turnout was pretty impressive!
Chelmsford showroom protest, 17 July 2021
Steve Day from Polluter Pays Bill joined our Homes for All meeting the same day and we agreed to publicise the campaign here. Steve wrote to us:
“The Building Safety Bill is the Government’s last chance to remedy this grave injustice of the Building Safety Crisis by implementing a solution that places the burden of dealing with the crisis on the shoulders of those who caused it. Only legislation can make those developers that built unsafe buildings pay for the cost of their failures. They took the profits and now must be made to compensate their innocent victims. If no action is taken, the slow drumroll of forfeitures, evictions, bankruptcies, mounting mental health problems, and even suicides will be placed at the Government’s door.
Campaigners with the help of experts and counsel have devised and pushed forward a Polluter Pays Bill which the government are actively considering to include in the Building Safety Bill. The proposal, is based on existing environmental legislation, where a wide pool of those responsible for causing the problem in the first place bear the responsibility to cover the costs of putting it right – in this case, placing the responsibility with developers, subcontractors, materials suppliers and architects, as opposed to innocent leaseholders or the taxpayer.
The proposal has already won the backing of 14 cross party back benchers and 4 peers and has been tabled twice in Parliament, but not yet debated on. Campaigners are urging Government to add these clauses to the Building Safety Bill, as it will bring in much needed consumer protection for buildings common to many other kinds of purchases. It takes the burden away from innocent leaseholders for pursuing litigation, doesn’t require tax payer funds and doesn’t make other innocent parties pay to bail out the construction industry’s failures. It will also free up existing funding for non-defective buildings and where no responsible party can be found.
In the end, it has to be right for all those that breach building regulations be made to pay in full for fixing their mistakes. This bill will achieve that, the government have a moral duty to include it. How you can help!
1) Write and get everyone you know to write to their MPs to urge the government to include Polluter Pays In the Building Safety Bill.
2) Get pressure groups onboard with the bill. This is the fight of a generation for future building as well as clearing up the mess of the last 20 years.
Islington’s Lead Councillor for Housing joins protesters to demand the Ministry of Justice allow the Council to house the homeless in former prison flats.
We are calling everyone who can make it down to support this important protest.
The Building Safety Bill is getting a hearing this week, but it doesn’t protect leaseholders, it protects developers. We must demand that developers pay, not innocent leaseholders, and that tenants and leaseholders have the right to safe, secure housing NOW. Action for Fire Safety Justice is the group that organised the developer showroom protests on 5th June. Now we are supporting them as they take the fight to 10 Downing Street.
Action for Fire Safety Justice – Fire Safety Crisis Protest
Grenfell United called a silent march on the day and in an incredibly moving display of solidarity and anger, people across the country came together for vigils and protests to stand with the bereaved and survivors and to remember the 72 lost lives.
A common theme of the protests was that the real perpetrators of social murder are getting away with it, but innocent people remain trapped in unsafe homes and in some cases forced to pay thousands to make their own buildings safe. There is no reason to suppose that another Grenfell tragedy will be avoided. It is only a matter of time.
At Homes for All we are proud to be part of the continuing fight for justice for Grenfell and the struggle to make all housing safe, without the huge financial costs being passed on to the leaseholders, and in some cases, the tenants. The Grenfell fire was the result of a thoroughly corrupt system of housing in this country, where the profits of construction firms, manufacturers, developers and landlords are the main priority, safety comes a poor second and the government ensures they keep getting away with it through a totally inadequate regulatory regime.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the Grenfell community for fighting to get these facts into the open. We will fight on.
On Monday 14th June, Homes for All is calling for supporters to remember the 72 lives lost and to stand in solidarity with the survivors and bereaved of the Grenfell fire. This must never happen again.
We are asking people to join their friends, workmates, family and neighbours. Make a placard using the slogans below and bring a candle.
Where? Your protest or vigil could be at work, after college, at a developers’ showroom or town hall. It’s up to you.
The important thing is to come together, discuss how we can achieve our demands for justice and have a visible show of solidarity. Take photos and post them on social media.
The leaseholders’ protests at develeopers showrooms and in town centres demanded an end to the building fire safety crisis. Homes for All hosted an online rally including rolling coverage from 10 of the protests and a panel of speakers. There were inspiring contributions from Matt Wrack, General Secretary, Fire Brigades Union, Karim Mussilhy, Grenfell United Jenni Garrett, End our Cladding Scandal and Sarah Rennie, Cladding Leaseholder Disability Action Group (CLADDAG). Protesters in Manchester, West Ham, Chipping Barnet and Brighton demanded that developers should pay to make buildings safe, whilst MP John McDonnell and other MPs and Councillors joined in to support the protests in their areas.
The protests caught the attention of the national press alongside BBC and ITV regional news.
Mirror article Flat owners demand urgent action from Government to end cladding scandal
Homes for All is supporting the protests at developers showrooms on 5th June. The protests are aimed at forcing developers and the government to take responsibility for fire safety measures following the Grenfell disaster.
There are an estimated 11 million people living in unsafe homes but the government, landlords and developers response has been totally inadequate. In many cases leaseholders are being forced to pay thousands of pounds for remediation – they can’t afford to pay! Meanwhile people are suffering a mental health crises whilst developers profits boom.
Join the Developer Showroom Protests on Saturday 5th June
Now residents are coming together to hit the developers where it hurts by targeting their future sales. On 5th June there will be a national wave of protests outside new home sales offices, as we demand that developers cover the costs to fix the #BuildingSafetyCrisis.
Further details here: New Homes Showroom Protest – National Day of Local Action Facebook event page
Showroom Protests online rally 12pm -1pm Saturday 5th June
*Matt Wrack, General Secretary, Fire Brigades Union *Karim Mussilhy, Grenfell United *Jenni Garrett, End Our Cladding Scandal *Sarah Rennie, Cladding Leaseholder Disability Action Group (CLADDAG) *Chair: Tanya Murat, Homes for All
Live streams from protests in…
Southend (Weston Homes)
Manchester (Bellway)
Canary Wharf (Ballymore)
Birmingham (City Centre)
Chipping Barnet (Countryside)
West Ham (Barratt Homes)
Brighton (Barratt Homes)
Clapton (Countryside)
Manchester (Town Hall – Lendlease)
Join the Developer Protest Action Group to find out where protests are happening and chat to other campaigners
MPs and charities fear a wave of homelessness when landlords can once again legally force out tenants in debt
Half a million private sector renters were behind with payments in January 2021, according to research from Citizens Advice. Photograph: David Goddard/Getty Images
Clare Austin* and family live in a privately rented house in Hertfordshire. She and her husband could afford the monthly rent of £1,700 when they were both working but when he lost his job a couple of years ago, they fell behind with their payments. He got another job and things were almost back on track when Covid hit and both were furloughed.
“We can’t claim anything as we’re furloughed, but my husband is a salesman and only getting 80% of his basic pay,” said Austin, who works for a travel company. “My biggest concern is the rent arrears.”
The couple owe their landlord more than £3,000. Despite the ban on evictions until the end of May, he has been threatening to ask them to leave. “We’re robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Austin said. “The gas and electric company agreed to reduce our payments, and we’ve cut back on food … luckily all the other companies were willing to reduce things, so we can make a little top-up to our rent.”
The family’s situation is far from unusual. Thousands of tenants are behind with rent – many struggling for the first time – and charities and other organisations have warned of a timebomb that will go off when the eviction ban ends.
A recent report by the House of Commons housing, communities and local government committee said the issue had been “a looming cliff edge for the duration of the pandemic”. The MPs said: “We are very concerned that the government is waiting until there is a clear crisis before intervening, rather than … taking proactive action to protect people.”
Citizens Advice found that in January, half a million private-sector renters were behind with rent, with an average debt of £730, and that 58% of them had no previous rent arrears.
Debt charity StepChange reports a similar number of struggling tenants, and estimates that 150,000 are at risk of eviction. It says £370m of arrears has been built up as a result of Covid, with some tenants managing to keep up by borrowing or cutting back elsewhere, as Austin’s family has done.
For those on the frontline of debt advice, rent arrears is the biggest problem faced by those seeking help. They are typically in insecure jobs, often on zero-hours contracts, and in industries that have suffered disproportionately over the past year.
The ban on evictions has been extended several times since it was introduced in the early days of the pandemic, but the latest extension is due to end on 31 May. The ban stops landlords in England from sending in bailiffs to evict tenants, and obliges them to give six months’ notice of court action.
However, between October and December last year, more than 2,000 possession orders were made, and could be acted on after the deadline. There are also exceptions to the six-months’ notice rule: for tenants who are more than six months behind with their rent and for those being evicted because of antisocial behaviour.
Jerry During, co-founder of Money A+E, in Newham, east London. Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Observer
Jerry During, co-founder of Money A+E, which gives advice in the London borough of Newham, says more than half of his clients have housing issues: “We’re seeing lots of people on furlough, [or] who have lost their jobs, with huge rent arrears. They were in the hundreds of pounds; now they’re in the thousands. As soon as the pause is lifted, we’re going to see a homelessness issue, and we’re going to see people taken to court.”
Those seeking advice include social tenants as well as private. A person in a shared ownership property recently sought help with arrears of £3,500 each to their housing association and their mortgage lender. Another client owes £10,500 in rent to a housing association.
Social housing tenant Georgina Samuels* is a music teacher who works across several east London schools and has struggled in the past with irregular and late payments. Cash has not always arrived in time to pay her housing association rent.
When the first lockdown hit last year and schools closed, she suddenly found herself without work.
During the pandemic, not all parents have been happy to have visiting teachers, even when permitted. After-school clubs she ran were also cancelled, so her income is down. Her rent arrears had grown to £4,709 before she was referred to Money A+E.
“After court, I was told that if I didn’t make the agreed payments they were looking to evict me. At the moment, because of the pandemic, they have been a bit more lenient,” Samuels said. As well as the rent, she is behind on other bills, and is considering trying to find another job. Her teenage children share a room, and she wants to move to a bigger home, but says the housing association has indicated that this is not possible until her arrears are down to £1,000. She has not told her children why they are stuck in a home that is so small. “I don’t want them to know that I’m in arrears – I don’t want them to think that this is normal, that this is how things are.”
StepChange is waiting for the government to announce how it plans to taper protection for renters as the suspension of evictions comes to an end, but said this would not be enough to plug the arrears that had already built up.
Richard Lane of StepChange said: “Last year, the housing secretary said no one should lose their home because of the pandemic, but this is a real prospect for hundreds of thousands of people, more than half of whom were never in arrears before. With the expiry of the eviction suspension just weeks away, now is the time to find decisive solutions, or face a crisis of housing insecurity, problem debt, homelessness and eviction.”
The housing committee report recommended extra funding for local authorities to make discretionary payments to those in arrears, in a package that will cost between £200m and £300m. “Given the number of potential evictions this would prevent,” it said, “it would probably save the exchequer a substantial amount in homelessness assistance.”
The figure also pales in comparison with the cost of other measures taken to support housing – Treasury figures suggest that extending the stamp duty holiday in England to the end of September will cost £1.3bn.
Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said: “If the government doesn’t act, the system will collapse under the weight of a growing evictions crisis after the final bailiff ban lifts. The government’s ambition to end homelessness will be totally undermined if more people lose their homes in the year ahead. It must step in to help renters clear their Covid rent debts – before it’s too late.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry ofHousing, Communities and Local Government said measures to help renters include £140m for councils to distribute in 2021-22 and an increase in local housing allowance last year.
“We’ve put people at the heart of our decision making, with an unprecedented £352bn package keeping millions in work and temporarily bolstering the welfare safety net for those most in need,” they said. “Robust protections are still in place for renters, including longer notice periods and banning bailiff enforcement of evictions for all but the most serious cases until 31 May. Councils can also provide support through the discretionary housing scheme.
“We are considering the best way to move on from these emergency measures and will set out further details in due course.”
Austin said if she were given a grant, it “would go straight towards my arrears, and give us a breakthrough”.
Have you or your organisation signed this letter? Please ask your MP, Councillors, organisation and any famous people you know to sign this letter. It’s really easy – just go to the google doc and add a name here.
Letter to the Guardian
You will be aware that the government has again extended the eviction ban on private and social renter evictions until May 2021. However, government loopholes are allowing evictions to go ahead, such as if the landlord has proven tenants’ anti-social behaviour or at least 6 months’ rent arrears. This is despite the housing secretary Robert Jenrick’s promise that “no renter who has lost income due to coronavirus will be forced out of their home”.
This is impacting over 750,000 households throughout England who are in arrears and in a state of constant fear of becoming homeless due to the government’s short-term approach and shifting regulations in dealing with what is a national housing crisis.
The pandemic has had the greatest impact on the lives of working-class people, including key workers, disabled people, BAME households and those in precarious employment, who have suffered disproportionately in terms of poor health, poor housing, and extreme hardship. Even landlords’ groups such as the National Residential Landlords Association are calling on the government to offer greater support to both landlords and tenants.
Numerous renters’ and housing groups are calling for no evictions during the pandemic and for financial support to help renters pay off arrears. We are therefore calling on Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to implement the following recommendations:
· Extend a full moratorium (ban) on evictions until March 2022.
· Write off arrears accrued during the pandemic until March 2022.
· Central government to develop an emergency financial package for tenants and landlords to stop evictions.
As Shelter points out, “Massive rent debt will make it impossible for many to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the pandemic”. We call on the Prime Minister, Cabinet and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to step in now and support legislation to ensure no-one loses their home or incurs rent debt due to the Coronavirus crisis.
Yours sincerely,
John McDonnell MP, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington and former Shadow Chancellor
Diane Abbott MP, Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987