DCH briefing: housing & regeneration bill

Preamble to Defend Council Housing document on the 'council housing' bill being rushed through parliament, which looks likely to extend authoritarian regulation of tenants' use of 'low-cost rented housing', a nebulous category encompassing public and private ownership, into which 'council housing' as hitherto understood will disappear.  On one level this confirms James Heartfield's warning (http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/artic...) that the Brown government's newfound enthusiasm for 'social housing' revives the disciplinary mission of Victorian estate building post-'slum-clearance'.  On the other hand, there were always two sides to council housing: social discipline AND the cheap consumption of a basic commodity which worker/tenant struggle forced the state to concede.  The new bill is the latest in a long series of attempts to reinforce the former while neutralizing the latter.The full DCH briefing is available at: http://www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch/resourc...

DCH responds to new Housing and Regeneration Bill

Government published its new Housing and Regeneration Bill on November 16 and is rushing it through its Second Reading on Tuesday (November 27). Behind the headlines promising 3 million new homes there are fundamental changes in the small print. What they are proposing...

Introduce means testing to 'low cost rented housing'

Discriminate against councils building new homes while offering public money to profit-making companies with little protection for either tenants or taxpayers

Transfer key responsibilities from elected Ministers and government departments to an unaccountable regulator

Give the regulator powers to determine criteria for allocating accommodation, terms of tenancies and levels of rent

Break up the national Housing Revenue Account without long-term guarantees for funding council housing

Enable predatory landlords (similar to 'Tenants Choice' under HATs in 1988) to 'persuade' tenants to ballot to transfer their homes and estates.

DCH has rushed out a briefing - including areas for MPs to table amendments to the Bill.

We understand the Committee considering the bill will take evidence before Christmas and the bill will then be debated again in January. Help us break through the soundbites and remind those who mouthed 'warm words' for council housing over the summer of the commitment they made to provide the 'Fourth Option' for council housing. Contact your MP and ask him/her to read this briefing, sign the new Early Day Motion and speak in the debate supporting our arguments. If your council has retained its homes, has an ALMO or has yet to consult tenants on the future of council housing find out what the latest position is and give tenants support to join this campaign. Further information from www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk. To stop getting DCH email newsletters reply with UNSUBSCRIBE in subject.