TUSC campaigners call for rent controls


Socialist Party press release – 25 February 2014

Socialist Party members will be taking part in a Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) protest outside the Landlord and Letting Show at the Barbican, London, on Wednesday 26 February from 9am.

Protesters will call for rent controls and an end to rip-off landlords – for rent caps instead of benefit caps.

Reports over the past few days have shown how millionaire landlords are making fortunes out of housing benefit.

Landlords will collect £9.2 billion from housing benefit this year alone – in many cases for doing very little. One million privately rented homes fail to meet basic safety standards.

Britain’s richest MP, Tory Richard Benyon – ‘worth’ £110 million – is piling up £625,000 a year from housing benefit claimants. So if he wants to cut the benefit bill, he should start by cutting the rents he charges.

Ukip’s housing spokesperson, Andrew Charalambous, collected £745,351 from housing benefit, again showing how his party are just another group of hypocritical millionaires.

And today it’s been reported that the Duchy of Cornwall and Crown Estates receive over £200,000 a year from housing benefits.

This money should instead be going to building and renovating affordable, publically owned housing.

Across London, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition local election candidates are demanding:
  • Rent controls – a cap on rents in the private sector to bring private rents in line with social housing
  • Council-run, not-for-profit letting agencies
  • Borough rent councils, made up of housing workers, tenants and local trade unions
  • House building and renovation – campaign for the government to divert its private developer subsidy to a mass programme of building social housing. For councils to use reserves and borrowing powers to build and renovate public housing now
  • Bring all housing association stock and housing services back in-house – privatisation has driven up costs
  • Axe the bedroom tax and reverse all housing benefit cuts
Join the protest: Wednesday 26 February, 9am, Hall 2, Barbican Centre, corner of Golden lane/Beech Street tunnel, London EC2Y 8AD – nearest tube Barbican.

TUSC’s policy platform can be read at http://www.tusc.org.uk/policy.php

For more information form the Socialist Party about TUSC, and for interviews, contact 020 8988 8779 or [email protected]