Sheffield housing – failed by privatisation


Wyllie Hume

26,465 (88.2%) Sheffield city council tenants have voted in favour of returning council housing management to the council from the independent company Sheffield Homes.

But Sheffield council has not taken council housing back in house because they now ‘reject’ outsourcing, but to save £1.2 million in a series of cuts including the closure of dementia care homes, attacks to youth services and reduced bin collections.

Residents are seriously concerned about possible rent increases and have no faith that needed renovation work, that wasn’t done by Sheffield Homes, will be done by the council. Questions also remain over job losses.

Sheffield Socialist Party demands no job losses, all former Sheffield Homes workers to be given jobs with decent pay; mass renovation of homes to a good standard; no increases in rents and for a mass building of council homes to solve the city’s housing crisis.