Labour Housing Group Newsletter - November 2020 SOCIALIST HOUSING POLICIES FOR A RECOVERING BRITAIN Making a reality of a decent home for all When it looked as if would be no Annual Labour Party Conference in 2020, LHG agreed with Thangam Debbonaire that we would hold a small conference just about housing. We knew there would be a lot of interest – at Annual Conference in 2019, there were more fringe meetings and resolutions about housing and homelessness than even the NHS. Our two key themes were how to win the next General Election through progressive housing policies and how to help the recovery from Covid-19. Our keynote speakers were Thangam Debbonaire, Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, who focused on the failings of the Tory Government on housing before and during the current crisis and housing policies to address climate change. Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds IN THIS ISSUE was interviewed by long-time LHG Page 2: Conference overview member Steve Hilditch. Pages 3-7: Reports from conference workshops Page 8: Tackling rogue landlords in Newham Page 9: Shocking Shetland fires - no more Grenfells? Page 10: Modern almshouses Thangam Anneliese Page 11: RedBrick anniversary Debbonaire Dodds 1 CONFERENCE OVERVIEW Leonie Cooper (LAM & SERA), Julia Park (housing researcher), Jane Cllr Danny Beales (Camden), Sarah Briginshaw (architect) Sackman (barrister), Duncan Joanne Darbyshire (National Bowie, University of Westminster Leasehold Campaign), Mick Johnston A B H The 8 workshops covered topics across the housing spectrum and heard from speakers from local authorities, Socialist Societies, and community groups, as well as from MPs and academics. We sought to make the private rented sector fit for purpose and how to improve quality, design, and sustainability, benefiting both tenants and owners. We also focused on G C the experience of black and ethnic minority residents and housing workers, both critically affected under Covid-19. Other workshops explored planning issues, how to make our housing policies suitable for all types of areas, funding issues, and the legacy of Grenfell. Jacky Peacock Clive Betts MP, (Advice4Renters), The Building Council Homes workshop heard James Aileen Evans, Liz Davies (Society Murray, MP announce that he will be leading a joint (SHOUT), Emma of Labour project with LHG to explore how building council Skinner, (Labour Lawyers) housing can once again become a reality across a wide Campaign for Council Housing), range of local authority areas, with the aim of reporting James Murray MP to next year’s Annual Conference. Watch this space for coverage of its findings and how you D F can contribute. E Cllr Sem Moema (Hackney), Cllr Mike Amesbury Abena Amina Ali (Tower Hamlets), Oppong-Asare (MPs) Anndeloris Chacon (Bristol Black Dr Janice Morphet, University College, Carers) London, Cllr Johnson Situ (Southwark) 2 LHG HOUSING CONFERENCE 3rd OCTOBER 2020 REPORT Workshop A. Building a better future - Design, � Daylight, accessibility and access to open space quality, sustainability are all important - good design should include dual aspect windows, balconies, utility space, Chair: Ross Houston space for desks in bedrooms and sound Leonie Cooper (SERA and London Assembly proofing Member): Immediate actions should be: Labour members can make a difference even in opposition � ensure that every home has 2 living spaces (i.e. separate kitchen and living room) � There is widespread opposition to Robert Jenrick’s plans, including from Tories � ban studios � The last London Labour manifesto section on � make use of roofspace cleaner greener London: creating world-class � create purpose-built HMOs with decent-sized public spaces, cleaning up the air and protecting rooms the environment - including solar panels on Key points rooftops, creating energy networks and Political leadership and top-to-bottom encouraging biodiversity conversations are vital � Labour members can influence Local Plans and Homes that are not zero carbon should no push for high quality sustainable housing longer be being built � Neighbourhood planning systems enable Daylight, accessibility and access to open residents to get formally involved in the planning space are more important since Covid-19 process We must work with developers to help them Jane Briginshaw (Design England): sell ‘green’ as a product � Design is not just ‘nice to have’; it is a proxy for talking about people Workshop B. Widening our perspective – � One example is Low Traffic Neighbourhoods - different tenures, different places we need to overcome people’s resistance to reducing car use by painting a picture of a better Chair: Ed Derrick future, and resisting parking outside new homes Joanne Darbyshire (National Leasehold Campaign): � New towns provide the opportunity to explain � Number of possible ‘holds’ – freehold, share what could be when it comes to green transport freehold, Leasehold, Shared Ownership, and healthy living (e.g. Ebbsfleet Garden City) Commonhold � We must work with developers to help them sell � Shared Ownership is not true ownership and is ‘green’ as a product misleading � This all needs political leadership and top-to- � Ground rent is unnecessary, and service charges bottom conversations that include local are uncontrolled and unpredictable communities � Other countries with blocks of flats and shared Julia Park (housing researcher): facilities have shown that leasehold is not � The highest priority is an affordable home for necessary, and it has been abolished in Scotland everyone but we need high quality as well � Commonhold is the best option for replacing � People’s homes are even more important since leasehold, but has failed to take hold because Covid-19 - they need to be flexible, adaptable, lenders don’t understand it, and there is no suitable for any tenure and for working from support from the state home, and last for 200 years � Commonhold would allow residents to employ � Homes that are not zero carbon should no their own management company longer be being built � There should be a ban on all new-build � Dense, high-rise housing also causes problems leaseholds, with affordable solutions with for tackling climate change current leaseholders, a Right to Manage, support 3 LHG HOUSING CONFERENCE 3rd OCTOBER 2020 REPORT for those with flammable cladding, and � Build on green belt – there is space for 4m commonhold as the default tender houses on green belt inside M25 area alone Mick Johnston (Retired public sector worker, rural � Homes suitable for working from home housing expert) � Homes need to be cool in summer and warm in � Rural communities have been written off by the winter Labour Party for too long Emma Skinner (Labour Campaign for Council � Issues include serious deprivation and lack of Housing) access to affordable housing � 8,000 council homes lost in London alone due to � Section 106 has failed as a mechanism for regeneration projects - 1m council homes providing affordable housing, especially in rural shortage areas � Housing policy classism, barrier to council � Local authorities don’t want to resource rural housing housing enablers � Cancel Public Works Lending Board debt - £4.5 � Many local authorities have long ago contracted billion yearly out their housing � We need to speculate to accumulate with � Private rental sector very small in rural areas council house building � Options for other tenures are not there James Murray, MP Key points: � There is a clear case for council housing There should be a ban on all new-build � We are currently achieving the highest number leaseholds, with commonhold introduced in 30 years, but this is only 10% of the numbers instead in the heyday of council house-building All existing leaseholders should be offered � LHG will lead a project on how to get back to other solutions including support to tackle building the council housing we need: “Council flammable cladding Homebuilding for the 21st Century” � Rural housing issues must be moved up the Key points agenda within the Labour Party – we cannot try to have one size fitting all Kids’ life chances are being ruined by housing issues The abolition of the Right To Buy is an Workshop C. Building council housing once more essential element in this, whether total or Chair: John Cotton only in high demand areas Clive Betts MP (Chair of Communities & Local Land issues are key: affordable land for Government Select Committee): affordable housing campaign � Government talks about affordable homes that � We need a major public house building aren’t really affordable – instead we need to talk campaign and to speculate to accumulate about genuinely affordable public homes � To deliver 300k new homes target, at least 150k Workshop D. Learning from Grenfell need to be public homes Chair: Sheila Spencer � This will require expansion of modular and Mike Amesbury MP and Abena Oppong-Asare MP other modern construction methods, with clear � Now over 3 years since Grenfell and things are quality standards to avoid the mistakes of the moving at a snail’s pace, still 300 tower blocks post war period with ACM cladding � Councils should be able to suspend Right To Buy � Constant change of housing ministers is in areas of high housing demand hindering progress Aileen Evans (SHOUT Campaign for Social � The stigma around social housing has still not Housing): been removed, as was promised immediately in � Reform land value capture the aftermath of Grenfell 4 LHG HOUSING CONFERENCE 3rd OCTOBER 2020 REPORT � Still opportunities for sub-standard works to � The