Defend February 2014 35p Council Housingwww.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk NO PRIVATISATION DEFENDTENANTS’RIGHTS Attacks on our tenancies, rents and land and buildings, replace them with TUC congress 2013 benefits are threatening Council high cost private housing, and push “Instead of subsidising slum tenants across the UK. The Bed- out anyone who can’t afford it. supports: room tax is driving people into debt They are threatening to destroy landlords let’s build the ● Abolition of and hunger and out of their homes. council housing and the rest of the council housing we need. Bedroom Tax and Government says the majority of by cuts, sell offs and pri- benefit caps new homes for rent they fund in 2015- vatisation. Instead of Bedroom Tax ● Direct action 18 will have up to 80% market rent. Council housing should be a let’s have a Mansion Tax.” against evictions Most will also have fixed term tenan- choice, available to all who need or due to benefit cies. want to rent as an alternative to the Frances O’Grady, cuts Tenants demand Councils reject failing private market. We need more ● A national TUC General Secretary / Hurd Jess reportdigital.co.uk Picture: this. Council tenants have a right to a council housing – not more expensive demonstration permanent home, not just a tempo- private housing most can’t afford. against attacks rary place to put your head down. Not Secure tenancies, really-affordable on benefits having a secure tenancy or having to rents, decent standards and an ● A mass pay higher rents will increase the accountable landlord are more programme of poverty trap and undermine stable important now than ever. council and other families and communities. Investment in a major programme Council housing is not subsidised. of improved and new council housing house building Government has robbed £68 billion is the alternative to the Bedroom Tax in rents and receipts over 34 years – and benefit cuts, as a way to create the £2 billion a year. Sell offs, market homes we need and bring down rents. rents, fixed term tenancies, and cut- We need a new generation of first ting access to waiting lists and other class, energy efficient council homes rights, undermine and destroy the tra- with secure tenancies and low rents. dition of . Tenants, trade unions, Councillors and Private developers including hous- MPs need to reject use of fixed term ing associations, want to get their (‘flexible’) tenancies and up to 80% Frances O’Grady at TUC Congress. hands on councils’ publicly-owned (‘Affordable’) rents as an alternative. Vote No to privatisation End the Bedroom Tax: A few Councils are still trying to Transfer puts our homes at sell off council housing to a Private ‘There are additional grounds for possession available to the increased market risks, with banks and Registered Provider (housing lenders calling the shots. No evictions association). This is privatisation. new landlord that may be used against existing tenants in the Accountants’ regulator the Finan- And it’s not in tenants’ interest. cial Reporting Council, says auditors event that the transfer goes Anti Bedroom Tax and benefit Councils pour money into glossy ahead.” Government guidance must consider the business risks posed send out Notices Seeking Possession – brochures and road shows promoting by housing associations’ increasingly campaigns across the UK have the first step to eviction. on Consultation before disposal a ‘yes’ vote for stock transfer. They commercial activities, in new guidance exposed this unjust and unwork- Campaigns are organising sup- to private sector landlord don’t want you to hear the case issued this January. able attack on tenants. On 5 April port, lobbies and protests to stop evic- against. homes, often with jobs and big pay Tenants have a vote, and a united protests across Britain are tions and axe the Bedroom Tax. Transfer means selling our homes rises for themselves if privatisation campaign can stop privatisation. demanding: End the Bed Tax now! ■ See back page to a private landlord. It is privatisa- goes through. Organising with trade unions and Many can’t pay, alongside Council tion. It carries big risks: a change to Legally and in practise the new councillors and MPs who support us, tax and disability benefit cuts and your tenancy, higher rents and landlord is in the private sector. Most we can get the word out door to door, sanctions. Others are going cold and charges, and no democratic control. housing associations are run as big and explain why tenants should vote hungry trying to. Often it is driven by senior man- businesses, with land speculation, No. In Salford, Gloucester, , Tenants have pushed Councils all agers who manipulate financial fig- bond issues on the stock market, and Durham or , together we can over Britain not to evict people in ures to paint a desperate picture. They ‘for profit’ arms building private hous- keep their hands off our homes. arrears due to the Bed Tax and benefit want to end Council control over our ing for sale. ■ See pages 2-3 cuts. But some landlords continue to INVEST IN COUNCIL HOUSING The housing crisis must be We need to tackle the crisis of affordable We are crying out for a What we need is a We desperately need a serious When we transferred from A decent home you can tackled and councils can rents. Housing associations charge too massive council house funding regime programme of council house the council to a so called afford, is a right not a play a crucial role in building much, and Councils charge too much. building programme to end which measures up building to help alleviate the local housing association luxury. It's essential to new homes to rent. The Rent convergence has pushed up rents.” the misery of homelessness to tackling the current housing crisis. Not more we were promised that our health, to children's economy would be further Chris Williamson MP and inadequate housing, housing crisis. That privatisation. The government has rights would be protected schooling, and to stable Defend “ strengthened by re-fits to “ “ which is blighting the lives “ means national “ made the crisis more acute by “ in the transfer document “ jobs and communities. reduce energy inefficiency. of millions of people. subsidy for building cutting billions of pounds of but they never were. So we Instead of Government To continue as we are is not Council housing building new Council rents, funding, abolishing home building have had to endure subsidies to millionaire an option and Unite will join creates skilled jobs and any abandoning the targets and creating uncertainty replacement of local staff landlords, we need to free others determined to fight The Bedroom Tax is not about under- such programme should be bogus ‘debt’ of the for local authorities. It could and and the destruction of Councils from historic Council for housing our members occupancy, it’s not about saving money. linked to the requirement to ‘self-financing’ should be making capital funding tenant groups plus the debt and get building a and their families so It’s a class issue: they want to make poor train apprentices, the system, and rents available to them, so more partnership turned into a new generation of well- desperately need.” people, disabled people, suffer. We want workers of the future.” which are genuinely genuinely affordable homes can be take over then a merger.” designed, energy efficient, Gail Cartmail, Assistant to repeal it now. People are getting into Steve Murphy, General affordable.” built as a matter of urgency.” Bill Pearson (Inside council homes for rent.” General Secretary, “ debt and arrears – people can’t afford it.” Secretary, construction Martin Wicks, Dave Prentis, General Housing online), East Paul Kenny, GMB Housing Unite the union Ian Lavery MP union UCATT Swindon DCH Secretary, Unison Lancashire tenant General Secretary WHY TENANTS SAY: NO PRIVATISATION! Tenants, unions and politicians in a united campaign can stop privatisation of council housing. Make sure tenants Stop the End the hear the case against, get Vote NO leaflets and discuss the Beware – fat cats, mergers case against transfer in meetings, lobbies and the media. robbery: ALMO and service charges TRANSFER MEANS MORE EXPENSIVE ACCOUNTABILITY LOST PRIVATISATION Housing associations/PRPs pay more We can lobby councillors, and vote write off two-stage Housing associations (now called Pri- for borrowing, have higher manage- them out if necessary. This direct dem- ■ protestors outside vate Registered Providers PRP) are ment costs and gross fat-cat salaries. ocratic relationship is lost through their housing association HQ in Kent private companies in law. Talk of ‘not The Public Accounts Committee of transfer. Housing associations are run the debt threat (see right). Protestors say: ‘Service for profit’, community-owned or coop- MPs found it costs £1,300 more to by a board of directors. All are legally Charge: all charge and no service.’ eratives is window dressing: it does improve each home through stock accountable to the company and bound The decentralisation of council and Councils have John Wroe, of Thamesmead, says: ‘The not change the legal fact. They are transfer than if the Council do the work. by secrecy. Having tenant and council- housing finance in April was sup- both taken back direct housing trust has gone. We don’t trust their increasingly run as big businesses, lor Board Members is a con. ‘At the time posed to hand back control to management, ending the Arms investing and accounting. Nothing they with bond issues, land speculation and HIGHER RENTS AND of transfer tenants are often led to Councils. But there are big strings Length Management Organisa- have done is transparent. Nine times 100 per cent ‘for profit’ house building. CHARGES believe that there is an explicit role in attached. The millstone of historic tion (ALMO). Housing will be run out of 10 you are just ignored.’ Gallions Banks, lenders and the balance sheet representing the interests of their fellow debt – which tenants should no as a directly-accountable council Housing Association awarded its last Rents, service and other charges are longer be paying – sucks out service. rule. Their borrowing is more expen- much higher than council rents. Coun- tenants on the board. This is not com- chief executive a £397,000 payoff in sive, they pay VAT (unlike Councils), patible with the accepted principle that money which should be used to But Gloucester is the latest council Dec 2013, to clear the way for merger ■ The Grand Union Housing Group of rise in complaints from tenants, on cil secure tenancies legally guarantee a manage and maintain homes and and are not subject to Freedom of ‘reasonable’ rent. Housing associa- as board members they have to work for pushing its ALMO to full 2-stage pri- with Peabody. Bedfordshire has raised £115 million loss of a voice due to housing Information (FOI). the principles of the organisation’ estates in the long term. vatisation. Tenants were sold ALMO on the bond market, to part-finance association mergers, takeovers and tions/PRPs are allowed by law to ■ charge a market rent. Many are forcing (Audit Commission, June 2004) In December growing protests as an alternative to privatisation, and Affinity Sutton housing association new build development. The association changes in group structures. Tenants LOSS OF SECURE new tenants onto fixed term tenancies forced the Chancellor to raise the bor- a way to bring in extra funding. are charging £200 a week for a one- issued £150 million worth of bonds, of make 10 or 12 complaints a month, and up to 80% market rents. RISK rowing cap on Council housing rev- Gloucester council is trying to push bed flat. A man on a normal rent which £35 million were retained. compared with one or two a month a TENANCY enue accounts marginally. stock transfer, making false promises tenancy was moved to the ground floor few months ago. ‘We have had a Council ‘secure’ tenancies are lost after Housing associations and PRPs are today big business. Many have thou- Self financing is now an incentive that tenants will keep control. and they shifted his tenancy to ■ Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing number of complaints about transfer. Housing associations/ PRPs MERGERS AND to push rent rises well above inflation. This is a cover story to disguise the ‘Affordable Rent’ of £200 a week. Association’s five non-executive organisations changing the way they say their assured tenancy gives equal sands of homes regionally or nation- TAKEOVERS ally, and diversify into for-profit and Underfunding of the original settle- facts and discourage a campaign directors were paid £143,000 in talk to tenants without asking the security but these promises are not Many transfer PRP landlords are ment is already putting Councils against stock transfer. Whatever name ■ Helena Partnership, based in St 2012/13, and chair Stephen Hallett tenants,’ said TAROE chair Michael statutory rights and can be overruled non-housing businesses. Local PRPs taken over or merged into bigger com- are often swallowed by big companies under pressure to cut repairs and they use, transfer to a new landlord is Helens, and Warrington-based Golden received £52,000. Gelling. In some cases housing in court. And new tenants won’t get panies: around one in 15 since 2005, improvements, sell off land and privatisation. Tenants will no longer Gates Housing Trust are discussing association landlords derecognised these protections. Many PRPs are a few years after privatisation. They including many council transfers. chase profits (or ‘surpluses’) through homes, force up rents or privatise. have council tenancies and rights, and merger in a new 22,000-home group as ■ The Tenants’ and Residents’ long-running panels on which tenants rushing to use fixed term tenancies Tenants have no say. Your vote on Rent pressure and borrowing are staff will not be public sector employ- subsidiaries with a single group board. Organisations of England reports a big sit, to save money. and up to 80% market rents for new private development. Transfer tenants transfer is the last real one you get – have seen take overs and mergers in part dictated by the vastly-inflated ees. (Case against transfer, opposite). tenants. This will break up communi- after that business interests decide. level of ‘historic housing debt’ forced In Northampton the Council has ties, and divide tenants, and could be within weeks. Promises in the offer Decisions after transfer are dictated by document are meaningless; they are a on Councils as part of the April 2012 backed off stock transfer, in face of the first move to higher rents and less the business plan. Local control is a settlement. determined tenant opposition. But secure tenancies for all. contract between landlords and are broken promise. not enforceable by tenants. Transfer is Historic debt – the cost of borrow- the Council are imposing an ALMO, Affiliate andorder material ing to build council housing, and for with no ballot and no extra funding. For more on the case against transfer see: a one-way ticket. If things go wrong Annual affiliation fees: www.defendcouncil housing.org.uk there is no return. new ALMO investment from 2000 – This brings the threat of full privatisa- has been manipulated by Govern- tion later. Tenants/Community Organisations: Local £10 District/Regional £25 National £50 ments. ALMOs were created as a two- Trade Union Organisations: Local £50 District/Regional £100 National £250 Stock transfer and stage privatisation option, in the face Tick required and indicate how many copies and amount receipts should have reduced the total Tenants and unions together for public services and jobs, October 2013. of determined and growing opposi- debt from 1979. And the figure did fall tion to stock transfer...... copies of DCH newspaper Annual subscription to Campaign Ensure a fair campaign £20 per 100 / £120 per 1000 £...... Mailings & Briefings £15 £...... steadily from £20 billion (1996-7) to Now the ALMO programme has £12.7 billion (2004-5). But it rose to ended and no further funding is avail- Councils often try to win a vote for ...... copies of ‘Case for Council ...... Posters £1 for 10, £7 for 100 £...... entitled to vote. provided by contract rather than by £19 billion by 2010, and to £28.4 bil- Rent robbery built in able. Councils including Ealing, Housing’ pamphlet £10 (or £2.50 sell-offs by spending a fortune on Demand your Council sticks to the statute.” (para 16). lion in the final settlement with Coun- Slough, , Rotherham and for individual tenants / bulk orders) £...... Affiliation fee £...... one-sided publicity promoting rules. Councils must now follow a ● Eviction. “There are additional cils. From 2003/4, after grass-roots campaigning finance in 2012 was supposed to end the rent Newham have or are bringing their ...... copies of House of Commons Donation £...... stock transfer, and giving inaccu- legally-binding code of practice, after grounds for possession available to the Tenants do not have direct owner- brought an end to ‘Daylight Robbery’, we were robbery. But the Treasury’s final ‘self financing’ ALMO back in house. Council Housing group report ‘Council rate information. protests. new landlord that may be used against ship of their homes, which are a pub- subjected to ‘negative subsidy’, or ‘Moonlight settlement with Councils included a total Bringing housing management TOTAL £...... Salford council, for example, want Councils promoting transfer must: existing tenants in the event that the lic asset; Government does not try to back ‘in house’ as a directly-account- Housing: Time to invest’ £10 (or Robbery’. Supposedly to pay for the historic £28.4 billion ‘debt’ bill added to local Council £5 for orders of more than 10 copies) £...... Anti Bedroom Tax information employees to tell tenants a proposed ● Give a full fair and objective pic- transfer goes ahead and these should recover the cost of subsidy to mort- national housing debt, all councils with an HRA housing revenue accounts. able council service, cuts out the extra stock transfer is ‘a new form of public ture. “Local authorities should ensure be explained.” (Annex 1: 20). gages, or stock transfer landlords, and surplus had to pay a proportion of their rents, This includes a cash receipt to the cost of duplicate management, and is ownership’. This is false and can only that the information provided gives a From: Consultation before disposal receipts have paid the ‘historic debt’ sometimes almost 50%, to the Government. Government of about £6.5bn – “which better protection against further pri- Name...... mislead tenants. full, fair and objective picture of the to private sector landlord: statutory many times over. Between 1994/5 and 2008/9 council tenants represents a share of future net rental receipts vatisation. There should be a full Send to: Dirty tricks have included chang- proposed transfer…” (Annex 1:3). guidance, CLG, July 2009. The debt of over £28 billion dis- paid a total of £91 billion in rent, of which the ‘up front’” (Chartered Institute of Housing, democratic debate on the future of Address ...... Defend ing the date or calling a vote at short ● Explain rights lost. “The [offer] ■ See: https://www.gov.uk/ tributed to Councils in the self-financ- ALMOs. We say bring housing man- government withheld £31 billion [Figures from February 2011)...... Council Housing, notice, taking down ‘Vote No’ posters document should explain that, government/publications/consult- ing settlement should be written off, Parliamentary Question 04350436 06/07, and Robbery is built into the underfunded 2012 agement back in house, end the threat PO Box 33519, and attacking anyone who campaigns although transferring tenants will ing-council-tenants-about-selling- in return for a commitment to fund a CLG subsidy determination schedules). settlement. We demand debt write off instead of of two-stage privatisation and build a Organisation...... Position ...... London against sell-offs, and refusing oppo- have broadly similar rights, some their-homes-to-a-private-landlord- new mass programme of local council The break-up of national Council housing huge rent rises. united campaign for investment in E2 9WW nents access to addresses of all those rights will be lost while others will be statutory-guidance housing investment. council housing. Tel No(s)...... Email ...... End Housing Defend tenants avoid the Bed Tax. are re-designating bedrooms to help room Tax and other benefit cuts.evict Sometenants in arrears due to andthe Bed-other landlords are agreeing not to resist, and to stop any evictions. to determination the strengthening support for the tenants’ campaign, are legal challenges and wide trade union attacks the Bedroom Tax. Alongside scrapping of the Bedroom Tax . Councils in England are demanding tenant in . They and several to refund Bedroom Tax cuts to every tion rises. Britain New around as arrears organising and cuts. determina- are groups benefit other and Tax Bedroom the to opposition of tide big a of part are Britain across councillors and Tenants Council Anti Bedroom Tax and Benefit Justice campaigns from across Britain met in to organise an end to the Bedroom Tax in 2014. serious arrears as a resultable’ ofnot the to policy.’evict tenantsAndrew who Lycettbuild saidup it would be ‘unten- of the bedroom tax. tenants who entered arrearstions’ as toa resultsocial landlords not to evict mitting to make ‘formal Walesrepresenta- passed a motion last week com- bedroom tax. evictions’ policy for tenantsassociation’s hit by refusalthe to adoptloggerheads a ‘no- with a council‘A over Welshthe housing association is at ‘Untenable’? A long and growing list of Council also report mission special UN A The Scottish Parliament has voted Inside Housing ‘But RCT Homes chief executive ‘Rhonnda Cynon Taf Council in south , 8 November 2013 bedro we say What

THE ANTI-BEDROOM TAX AND BENEFIT JUSTICE FEDERATION England & : benefitjustice@ gmail.com / 020 3371 2031 (messages) Scotland: Anti Bedroom Tax Federation: [email protected] “ renting regulate private benefit caps and Bedroom Tax and benefits: abolish ● Cap rents not tenant TACT, Winchester Alan Rickman, affordable housing.” what is needed: be far better. Provide housing benefits would having to go on to preventing people people to pay, Lower rents enabling housing shortages. opposite of solving hell bent on doing the The Government is Resisting at all cost. ma now omtax build new to improve and debt for councils remove historic council housing: ● Invest in “ Tax have launched an open statement: gmail.com fit Justice Federation: benefitjustice@ rents. soaring and homelessness evictions, council housing, as the alternative to abolition of the Bedroom Tax. MPsdemand and to councillors ers, and join with trade unions, campaign- ants’ organisations need to take a lead, and challenge, appeal, and resist. Ten- for Discretionary Housing Payment, are underway. challenges more And benefit. apply to long not term does tenants Tax Bed on means housing rule 1996 bedroom by its use and size. The pre- ple on military service; definition of a exemptions for foster carers and peo- punched holes in the policy, including and Benefit cuts. TaxBedroom the against campaign ers’ organisations, are part of a united community organisations, women’s unions, and pension- trade groups, vBedTax2.pdf org.uk/dch/resources/Councillors http://www.defendcouncilhousing. Councillors against the Bedroom the against Councillors The Anti-Bedroom Tax and Bene- Cap rents not benefits and invest in Everyone can apply to the Council has campaigns from Pressure peoples disabled and Tenants Council Housing Group Chair House of Commons Austin Mitchell MP, investment for all of us.” Council housing is a good desperately need them. homes for all those who build 100,000 new council modernise existing homes, and to invest in Council housing – to homes we need. This is the time the risks but doesn’t build the privatisation which increases time for stock transfer important than ever. This is no Council housing is more are really affordable tenancies and rents that we demand secure (un)Affordable Rent – term) tenancies and ● No Flexible (fixed EDM 662 MP to sign Get your 2013-14/662 signed by 70 MPs. Shannon, George Howarth and Alan Meale, Margaret Ritchie, Jim Mitchell, with sponsors Jim Dobbin, landlord arrears it has caused.” consider writing off the tenant andeffectiveness, which should pending a review of its impact Governmentand to suspend the policy authorities; and calls on the communities, landlords and local puts financial and social strain onbenefit spending as claimed, and reduce homelessness or housing the low paid and the poorest, willseparated not parents, grandparents, disabled and sick people, carers, unjust, discriminates against bedroom tax, spare room subsidy, “Thatis this House recognises that theOCCUPANCY PENALTY EDM 662: UNDER- http://www.parliament.uk/edm/ Its primary sponsor is Austin

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