More than 70 organisations, including six national trades unions, are supporting the national housing demonstration on April 18^th. Martin Wicks reports.

The national housing demonstration brings together a host of tenant groups, housing campaigns and national trades unions. It is an expression of the widespread frustration that the government’s housing policy fails to focus on a council housing programme, instead, looking to the market to resolve the housing crisis.

Interviewed on ITV, Minister Steve Reed was asked directly, “Why don’t you do what the Attlee government did – build council housing?” Reed’s response was that people have “different aspirations” today. Most people, he said, want to be homeowners. Yet between the aspiration and the means is an unbridgeable gulf for those who do not have access to ‘the bank of mum and dad’.

The government’s Social and Affordable Homes Programme is “a flawed programme which will not resolve the housing crisis”. It is funding only 18,000 social rent homes a year, with no funding specifically for council housing. From that figure must be deducted demolitions and homes lost to right to buy. The number of social rent homes in England, for the first time, has fallen below 1.5 million.

The government has kept in place the Tories’ definition of “affordable housing”, so they are continuing to fund “affordable rent” (80% of market rent) and “shared ownership”. They are also allowing continuation of the Tories’ “Permitted Development Rights”, previously denounced by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook as “poor quality/slum housing”.

While the government is ending section 21 evictions, its refusal to countenance rent controls leaves private sector tenants financially stressed and without the security of tenure that council tenants have. Rent is one of the main drivers of the cost of living crisis. The impact of the trades unions’ struggle to increase the wages and salaries of their members is undermined by the rent increases which have outstripped earnings and inflation. 

This demonstration can be a launchpad for building pressure on the government for a change of direction, to make a council housing programme the focus of its housing policy, together with rent controls as a key means of addressing the cost of living crisis. Just as the extra-parliamentary movement was key in forcing the government to make a partial retreat in relation to the winter fuel allowance and disability benefits, pressure needs to be brought to bear on MPs for rent controls and a council house building and acquisitions programme. The May elections are likely to make MPs who are worried about their electoral prospects even more nervous.

Meet at 1 p.m. Soho Square Gardens W1D 3QP, April 18^th.

Martin Wicks is Secretary of the Labour Campaign for Council Housing.