Lindsey Morgan, Bristol Socialist Party
We need council homes. Over a million people languish on waiting lists for council housing. In the main, these are people who cannot get together huge deposits either for rent or a mortgage, who can’t afford gruelling private rents, and don’t have the ability to buy a home either.
So-called affordable housing is out of reach for millions. 40% of council housing built in the last century is now in the hands of private landlords thanks to Thatcher’s ‘Right to Buy’ – kept in place by Labour and Tories since – and the fact sold homes haven’t been replaced.
Add in to the mix the amount of housing, social and private, that is in horrendous condition with black mould, damp, lack of proper fire access, and everything else making tenants unwell and sometimes causing death.
A tenant who puts their head above the parapet and complains about the condition of their home faces the threat of a Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction. The previous Tory government said they were going to end these but, considering they have so many landlords in their ranks (as with Labour), it’s no surprise that they weren’t willing to make it happen.
Any attempt to deal with the crisis by boosting more private development will only encourage landlords who prioritise getting profit and a return on their investment. When profit is the guiding principle rather than high-quality and cheap-to-rent housing, tenants will continue to suffer.
The solution is a nationwide programme of mass council house building – high quality and well managed. We need consistent fast responses to any complaints and repairs, and for all existing stock to be brought up to the standards we deserve.
Council housing pays for itself. When it’s good quality, it saves the NHS money. With lifelong tenancies, tenants more than pay the council back the cost of building the houses in the first place. It reduces the massive housing benefit bill caused by a combination of huge rents and low wages, which means we foot the bill for the profits of landlords. What is stopping Labour councils using their spending powers to build council homes now?
A decent home and a secure tenancy is the very least we deserve. We can’t afford things to stay how they are. And we can’t afford more privatisation.
