Fight for council homes and rent control
Smith Samson, Waltham Forest Socialist Party
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has become the latest Labour cabinet member to have their dodgy property dealings exposed. Reeves broke the law by failing to apply for a licence from Southwark Council to rent out her former family home. It comes just months after the resignations of ex-deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who never paid stamp duty on the sale of her property, and former homelessness minister Rushanara Ali, who evicted the tenants of her £1 million east London town house in order to increase the rent. Reeves apologised for the ‘inadvertent mistake,’ she made while renting out the £3,200 a month home, which was put on the rental market following her move to Number 11 Downing Street, a flat she lives in for free.
The back pockets of landlords such as Reeves continue to be well lined by renters. A recent study showed the cost of private rent now swallows 44% of the average wage packet. This figure has grown over the last five years while bills continue to soar and wages stagnate. Rents both in and out of London are at record highs, with the average rent in London now costing an eye watering £2,736 a month.
Any hope that Reeves will be held responsible for breaking the law is unlikely. Southwark Council released a statement saying they would not issue an enforcement fine unless the landlord had previously received a warning that they had not acted upon. Despite the Labour-run council’s stated desire to protect renters by licensing landlords, their actions have done little to alleviate the burden on the many facing exorbitant private rents or stuck on lengthy council housing waiting lists.
Councils can take action
Local councils have the power to address the housing crisis, including by implementing proper licensing and registration for landlords. This would enable them to enforce rent controls on existing properties, making housing more affordable for local residents, with levels democratically determined by the local community. Licences should be withheld from landlords who set unaffordable rents or maintain substandard or unsafe properties. Councils currently have the authority to requisition vacant properties. Owners who intentionally leave properties empty should have them requisitioned and converted into council housing, or become licensed landlords with rents capped at affordable rates. This should be implemented alongside mass council house building programmes, freeing families on waiting lists from temporary accommodation and providing decent housing for all.
The upcoming May council elections offer an opportunity for potential Your Party candidates to propose these as real solutions to the housing crisis. This would be a clear alternative to the current ineffectual local governance of the Labour, Conservative, and Reform parties. Councillors that fight for the people they represent, and demand the funding from Starmer’s government, would make a real difference. These are the sort of councillors that we need, ones who will fight rogue landlords, bring down rents and stand up for the working class.
