Fight to save social housing

Submitted by Matthew on 13 January, 2016 - 10:33 Author: Jim Fraser

With the Housing Bill, and various associated ancillary legislation, the Tories have launched an all-out offensive to destroy social housing, especially council housing, once and for all.

There are a number of provisions put forward including the ending of security of tenure and the ruling that all council tenants must submit to a review of their tenancy every two to five years. The Tories do not specify what happens after their housing status is reviewed, but George Osborne and several other cabinet ministers have given every indication they “will be required” to move into private rented accommodation.

Indeed Osborne and several senior Tories have talked privately of “forcing” tenants into the private sector.

In the House of Commons on Tuesday 12 January Tories even voted against an amendment to the Bill which would have required landlords to make their housing safe.

Local authorities will be compelled to sell off all their “high value” housing as soon as it becomes available. All new council housing currently being built must be immediately sold off on completion. As soon as tenants move from any council property, that property must then also be sold off. This is supposedly to subsidise the sale of housing association housing, but there is a total disconnect between the two. The real reasons are to reduce council housing stock and to enable private landlords to more easily acquire that stock.

George Osborne has talked repeatedly of the unfairness of “those who can well afford it” paying less rent than those in private housing. The Tories are introducing the “pay to stay” tax which means anyone, or any family, with a combined income of £40,000 or more (£30,000 outside Lonbdon) will have to pay the local market rent. This will mean massive rent increases for huge numbers of people. In some parts of London the increase could be £300-£600 a week. All of the money raised will go to the government, none to the local authority.

Great fanfare has been given to the new “starter homes” programme. These will be built by private developers and sold at 80% market prices. In London that means £400,000 to £900,000 each, which puts them beyond the pocket not only of the low waged but also of those on “average income.” Even outside London they will not exactly be “affordable” to most people.

The Tories have created the greatest housing crisis since 1945. This will make it dramatically worse and will be a disaster for millions of people. Housing is the most crucial issue of the moment. If the Labour and trade union movement and the tenants movement unite against this vicious bill the Tories can be defeated.

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