NSGCA endorse the motion to kill the housing bill, propposed legislation to make housing more expensive.
Join the national march on 18 June 2016
Amended Motion to Tenant Council – Kill the Housing Bill April 2016 – Passed unanimously 4.4.16 (the original, unamended motion was passed unanimously by Tenant Council in February 2016) This amended motion inserts two references to the Brownfield Register and replaces support for the national demonstration on 13th March 2016 with support for the national demonstration on 18th June 2016.
This Tenant 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
- Makes councils set up a Brow field Register and give planning “Permission in Principle” to all land on this register
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 Tenant Council believes that 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 Tenant 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
- Not place social or council housing estates on the Brownfield Register
- 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 Tenant 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 on Saturday 181h June 2016
- To urge Area Forums and TRAs and SGTO to adopt this motion and organise local activities against the Bill.
The housing bill is a UK Government Bill, details of which can be found here.
Link to the original bill.
