Defend Council Housing's Tenants and Housing Summit, Report 1

The Tenants and Housing Summit organised by Defend Council Housing (DCH) and Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) took place on Saturday 13 June in Central London,

"to resist Government attacks on council housing, tenants and benefits. A 'summit' for all those fighting for rent control and the homes we need."(1) Its agenda and prospectus are/were set out in a leaflet appearing on the Defend Council Housing website.(2)

Benefits Justice's Report on the Summit, by Eileen and Kate

Notes on 13 June Tenants and Housing summit (organised by Defend Council Housing and Disabled People Against the Cuts in central London)

Around 120 people attended, from organisations incl. DCH, DPAC, Housing Justice, Radical Housing Network, Radical Assembly, TUSC, Trade Unionists for Housing, Young GMB, Unite Community, NUT, Bolton Against Bedroom Tax, Generation Rent and various London borough campaigns

Action plan agreed:

*a housing bloc on the Peoples Assembly London march 20 June: assemble 1 Poultry opposite Bank of England 12 noon

*25 July national day of local actions for housing and against benefit cuts and bedroom tax

*a campaign against the extension of Right-to-Buy to housing associations financed by open market sale of council homes

* A national London march for Housing and Homes (date to be agreed)

• housing campaigns, hustings and lobbying aimed at Scottish, Welsh, London and other local elections 2016

Other actions

• 16 and 22 June: lobbies of Hackney council (was going to fine rough sleepers £1000 - petition and protest made them drop it)
• 16 June Trade Unionists for Housing: 6.30pm GMB HQ Young London - open meeting on housing
• 16 June 6.30pm Radical Housing Network: ‘What would a rent strike look like?’, Brick Lane
• 18 June meeting on housing Unite offices Holborn
• DPAC: short March for London 20 June; meet 1.30pm opposite Downing St
• 26 June DPAC campaign against introduction of psychological therapies into Job Centres march on Streatham Job Centre. Meet 1.30 Streatham Memorial Gardens SW16 (Pilot project to bring CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) into… Continue Reading Stop Forced Treatments 26th June 1.30 Streatham
• 2 July Westminster Hall - Labour London mayor candidates hustings - challenge on housing
• 10 October: People’s Assembly and Unite Community conference on housing
• Bolton 1st Sat of every month: Wake-up Bolton (+ Wigan etc) - open mic events in city centres

Other

• stopping evictions: use all legal means, bailiffs have limited power, peacefully refuse to leave; but law on landlord’s side so build anti-eviction networks (many already set up);
• need broad national movement for homes, including private tenants’ union;
• estate demolitions/loss of homes: lobby and negotiate with councils + direct action + confront developers + Waltham Forest Trades Council organised ballot of residents
• new Right to Buy: serious attack than can be beaten.Statement being drawn up - paper and on-line petition - as focus for campaign; force Labour councils to resist selling valuable properties; organise with housing associations and tenants groups (leader of Southwark council has come out saying he wants to oppose it)
• include refugees/migrants/asylum seekers in fight for homes;
• Cambridge Trades Council - target letting agents for flash protest; build campaign to occupy empty properties
• Southwark Benefit Justice: job centre protests linking up with PCS
• homeless camp taking place in Manchester

Notes

(1) Defend Council Housing homepage accessed Monday 15 June. http://defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch/
(2) Tenants and Housing Summit 13 June e-leaflet, accessed Monday 15 June.  http://www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch/resources/Benefitsworkshop13juneweb.pdf

Tues 16/03/2015 demo supports supported housing workers

From Unite Community, London & Eastern Region

Protest Against the Eviction of Family Mosaic Staff from Their Jobs and Homes

 

Unite's Housing Branch is currently campaigning against Family Mosaic, a giant housing association that is threatening to evict three of its staff from their homes. These staff live in tied accommodation due to the work that they do. Please could you come along to the protest and let others know too. 

 

Protest at the Homes For Britain event on Tuesday 17th March. Meet at Westminster tube (exit 4) at 12.45.

 

Over 2,000 people are expected at the event and our protest is therefore likely to have an impact if we can gain a bit of visibility. Please do share as widely as possible.

https://www.facebook.com/events/608527315950603/

 

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Background

As part of its response to cuts in funding from Hackney Council the association has told staff they may lose their homes by April.

 

Unite Regional Officer Adam Lambert has said “We have real fears that the actions of Family Mosaic could make people homeless. We have been seeking assurances for our members and have thus far been disappointed that the employer has not felt able to give staff clarity and security. We would have hoped that Family Mosaic would take more care to examine alternatives before booting people out of their homes in the current economic climate.”

 

Unite members are clear that cutting these posts will have a serious and detrimental effect on the lives of vulnerable people who will lose the regular, face-to-face contact with support tenants who are employed to assist them. Removing support tenants would increase the pressure on mental health and generic health services, increase the workload for already overloaded social work teams, and would lead to increased isolation and problems such as debts and benefit problems.

We are protesting because giant housing association Family Mosaic is holding the threat of homelessness over the heads of its staff who work as support tenants and reside in Family Mosaic accommodation.

 

Unite is calling on Family Mosaic to take stock and rethink their plans, retaining these vital roles in recognition of the valuable service they provide to the local community.

Brent Housing Action calls for Brent residents' testimonies for a tribunal

A guest blog piece by Brent Housing Action about council collusion with those who privatise public services for profit at the cost of economically vulnerable people's misery. Heading and some links supplied by Swheatie of the KUWG's Internet searching, other links to follow from BHA.

"By their fruits shall they be known"

In March Brent Councillors will join with global financiers and politicians, multinational building firms, latifundista landlords, Housing Associations and just about any other group involved in land ownership or property — except tenants — for few days of sunshine and mutual backslapping in Cannes on the Cote d'Azur. Their excuse for meeting up on the beach is a conference called MIPIM. MIPIM is to housing what DSEI [Defence and Security Equipment International] is to the arms trade. It is a way to develop new strategies to divide up the globe and keep local populations under control.

Opposition to MIPIM amongst housing activist groups has been growing exponentially since the effects of this conference became plain in 1992. This year activists will hold those attending MIPIM to account: we will make them face a public tribunal which will present them with cases showing their greed and lack of concern for local residents.

Brent Housing Action are preparing a case against three of the groups attending: the Housing Association Genesis, Building Contractors Willmot-Dixon and, of course, Brent Council, who have used these two firms to devastating effect during the' regeneration' of the South Kilburn Estate.

If you are interested in contributing your thoughts on the regeneration please contact us at brenthousingaction@gmail.com.

We are particularly interested in speaking to the following groups:

1) Tenants who took legal action against the Council (as happened in Fielding House);

2) Tenants who were "decanted" (moved) out of the borough;

3) Tenants who were moved into inadequate housing, even if temporarily (this can include the new builds too!)

But we welcome any stories about the regeneration from ANYONE who has had the misfortune to live through the break-up of their local community.

Thank you.
Brent Housing Action