A contribution to the Housing policy discussion
A contribution to the housing policy discussion from Liverpool Left Unity
Housing discussion
There are many aspects to the housing crisis in Britain.
• The bedroom tax,
• the relentless attacks on social/council housing and its removal from democratic
control
• the virtual end to the concept of housing based on social need
• the cost and insecurity of private rental,
• the prevalence of short, insecure term lets ,which damage the construction o…f
viable communities, and impact on children’s schooling
• the rise in homelessness,
• the shortage of mortgages and the lack of affordable housing
• the slowdown in the house building industry
These all make housing a key policy issue for Left Unity
Left Unity Liverpool agreed that Left Unity should
• Campaign for dignity in housing for all.
• Campaign for the immediate end to the bedroom tax and should support the campaigns
(including direct action and organisation in the communities) to see it abolished.
• Campaign for publically owned and democratically controlled ( council)
house building programme funded by government at minimal interest rates
• Planning for housing to be within an overall plan of the town or city to ensure
full access to the existing social and recreational facilities for the residents
• Planning of housing to be linked to plans for schools.
• For union recognised building sites
• For house building programmes to integrate provision for the elderly close to
family housing
• The need for long term secure tenancies so as to build communities
• For rents to be affordable within the living wage
• For most houses to be built to Parker Morris standards and with back and front
gardens
• For rent control on private landlords
• For housing to be eco-friendly and sustainably sourced and run.
Left Unity Liverpool recognises that there is much more than house building needed
to humanise and truly civilise our cities and wishes to work with international
political campaign ”The Right to the City”
To this end, we invite supporters of Left Unity and all campaigning for dignity in
housing and our other demands to attend a meeting on this matter in Liverpool, the
first city to develop social housing, but now one of the cities most damaged by the
government’s policies.
Further details will follow
4 comments
4 responses to “A contribution to the Housing policy discussion”
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“Campaign for publically owned and democratically controlled ( council)
house building programme funded by government at minimal interest rates” – you can tell where this is coming from.
One of the tragedies (there were many, some would call them crimes) of the so-called ‘Militant’ council years (mid-1980s) in Liverpool, was Labour’s stupid stance on council housing. The trots dismissal of co-operative housing as ‘petit bourgeois’ – actually controlled by working class people, many left-wing – did two things: (i) it alienated a lot of active, committed people (along with many others similarly alienated by daft and counter-productive policies, as well as the macho bullying tactics of the time) and (ii) it built 5,000 council houses, including a whole estate of shite houses from Barratt (sooo revolutionary) and -oops, they forgot that Thatcher had imposed the ‘right to buy’, so many of the best houses were promptly bought at bargain prices.
Felicity, you remember this don’t you? It left the city in massive debt to very dodgy bankers; was a gift to why-use-one-word-when-a-dozen-will-do Kinnock et al, not to mention Thatcher, who laughed all the way to winning the next election (obviously not all Militant and their sad apologist’s fault, but a contributory factor); and put many people off left politics for decades / to date.
This is the politics of ‘council housing only’. Its track record is failure and disunity. No one is saying that there is a perfect solution under capitalism, but mutual/co-operative housing has a much better record of community ownership, control and quality.
Above you bemoan the “shortage of mortgages”!? If there is one thing that needs ‘rebalancing’ in the UK, it is housing tenure: massively in favour of renting, not owning. Far too many people on the left (including me) have opted for buying, as renting could not adequately and securely house our families. Sorry, Liverpool LU, but the above is a list of boring, same-old left (actually quite conservative) policies; whereas we need an inspiring housing policy, liked not just to schools, but to environment, food, employment, transport, social care … in fact an holistic approach to community development and transformation.
As for “housing based on social need”: Labour and the dull ultra-left have contributed to the ‘residualisation’ of social housing – poor people being corralled into what started out, or soon became, poor areas. The left should campaign for housing for all – based on mixture of need and desire – and, as a transitional measure, a progressive bedroom tax!
i have some experiNce of housing associations. these were the tory then new labour alternatives to council housing. geuss what. they have become bureacratic bastions of well paid managers and poorly paid workers. gauranteed to make money from a myriad of grants and private investors. not for profit, but make “surplus” instead.
these corporations need to be taken back under public control and have the senior managers wages reduced.
as they receive public money they should be compelled to recognise unions and not make “surplus” at the expence of workforce.
instead of stacking up unmanagable workloadz they should treat workers and tenants (who are negatively affected) with respect.
their eagerness to evict over bedroom tax says it all.
pete b
We need a Housing Minister to champion the need for Social housing. this must be a priority, if housing is to be a priority then it must be given the same level of debate as a ‘one item’ discussion. communities must be planners, communites r about inclusive aspects of development in order to provide safe environments built around those that live/work/play there, built around there needs and not the planning Policy makers. Many points have been raised but the meat is within each point. taking ownership of something always for a better developed idea to progress rather than being ‘noted’ and shelved as a well versed process of consultation in order to consent to something that looks outplaced and the exact opposite to the want/need of those same people that will contribute to its stability in future generations. we must develop the next gernerations ability to adapt to the needs of the individuals and build from bottom up. community cohesion can only be acheived if its to the liking of those that want to live there, if social housing is to provide stability it must also consider asthetically the access and possible work ethic by providing local skill development as part of the corriculum. Education can be powerful if used to build the need to supply skills locally in order to invest in its stability. Spreading wealth in the local economy will build strong communitys, providing areas of play combined with activites and opportunities of physical development will again provide health and well being and a sense of pride rather than the current situation of the ‘lock your doors’ many area’s are like ghettos where neighbours dont even know who’s who anymore and once they close there doors they shut the world out
All great stuff. The finances need to be sorted out. Councils cannot run deficits, and my HA run by Labour councillors as a PR piggybank. Not a single tenant on the “Tenants & Residents” where I live!!
We are heading for much worse, as the ConDems manipulate the market for short term electioneering. So called Labour supporters have been bought cheaply by such tricks in the past, so we need workable, realistic steps to put to the people. I certainly don’t have the expertise, but a massive, punitive tax on non-resident owners of property (especially in London) is needed. Unfortunately, these same owners own the Politicos!