Nick Auvache, Camden and Haringey Socialist Party
The cost-of-living crisis is crippling tenants. Housing Campaigners gathered outside the department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 6 October to deliver a letter demanding a freeze on social rents and service charges, plus a new eviction ban.
The Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) campaign organised the protest with others. The action was supported by Unite the Union and the Unite housing workers’ branch.
Even if the government ‘limits’ the rise in social rents to 5%, as is likely, many tenants and residents would still find this unaffordable. They are also angry that there is no cap on service charges, and that shared ownership rents remain linked to RPI inflation – likely to produce rises upwards of 15%. As well as homeowners, the interest rate hike also affects tenants, as social landlords rely heavily on borrowing.
Socialist Party member Paul Kershaw, speaking for Unite housing workers, said at the protest: “There is little benefit in winning good pay awards for our members, if the money is immediately lost to landlords. The national average of income spent on rent is around 30%, but among our members it is already exceeding 50% in some cases. This makes rising rents an important issue for our members and our union.”
The protesters warned the Tory minister that if their demands are not met, they will take their message to the trade union movement when delegates gather for the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) this month. Shac representatives will be speaking from the platform of the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) rally.
- Freeze rents and extend the freeze to service charges
- Reintroduce the ban on eviction proceedings for rent arrears
- Provide government funding to councils to ensure there is no negative effect on housing quality or services to tenants. Support to housing associations and registered providers should be provided on a means-tested basis
