kill the housing bill Campaign Update

[killtheho...@gmail.com]

The Housing Bill is still being held up in Parliament; it goes back to MPs and the Lords again on Mon 9th and Tue 10th.   If opposition is determined enough to keep challenging it past this Thursday the Bill could be delayed significantly.

         Can you email or phone key MPs and Lords in the next 48 hours asking them to keep up the opposition?  See our statement below challenging the Government's arguments, with some key names to contact.

We will be outside Parliament this Wed 11th from 12 noon at Old Palace Yard SW1P 3JY  in protest - come with banners and placards if you can.

Other campaign dates
Sat 21 May   10am - 1pm  Still kill the housing bill: organising next steps .  All welcome:   at Bloomsbury Central Baptist church 235 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8EP

                     1pm  Parliament Square  Gypsy Traveller march against the Housing Bill

18 June       second national march against the Housing Bill

Contact MPs and Lords with our statement (see below and attached).

Key opposition MPs 

John Healey (Labour, Housing) john.healey.mp@parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 6359, 01709 875943, @johnhealey_mp

Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour, Planning) woo...@parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 4982,  0191 374 1915, @robertabwmp

Teresa Pearce (Labour, Housing ) teresa.pearce.mp@parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 6936   @tpearce003

Rosie Winterton (Labour, chief whip)  rosie.winterton.mp@parliament.uk  T: 020 7217 3000 - ask for her office

Jeremy Corbyn (Labour leader) jeremy.corbyn.mp@parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 3545, @jeremycorbyn

Caroline Lucas (Green MP)  caroline.lucas.mp@parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 7025  @carolinelucas

Key Lords

Lord (Roy) Kennedy  (Labour, Housing)  kenn...@parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 1772 @lordroykennedy

Lord (Jeremy) Beecham (Labour, Housing)  beechamj@parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 5353 @jeremybeecham

Lord (Steve) Bassam (Labour chief whip)   via  contactholmember@parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 5353 

Lord Kerslake (cross bench) via contactholmember@parliament.uk  T: 0207 219 5353

Lord Best (crossbench) best@parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 6799

Kill the Housing Bill  campaign statement  7.5.16

 

We oppose the Housing and Planning Bill because it means more insecurity, high rents and housing anxiety now and for generations.  We welcome many of the amendments and concessions conceded due to opposition in the Lords, but remain extremely worried about the overall detrimental impact of this Bill, and cannot see any positive reason to support even an amended version.

We call on MPs and Lords who share our concerns to continue the opposition.  Action to delay the legislation and expose the lack of consensus around it, will help in future challenges.

Many of the most potentially damaging measures in the Bill were not part of the Government’s Manifesto.  The Manifesto promise of more starter homes did not say this would be at the expense of existing and future council and housing association homes for rent.   

This Bill is not a ‘financial measure’ and so the Parliament Act should not be used to obstruct legitimate opposition.  It is a far-reaching attempt to reshape housing provision by undermining non-market alternatives and tenant rights.  It is not a ‘financial measure’ unless every central or local government  change  is also to be classed in this way.  

Already 69% of people in Britain say we are in a housing crisis [details here]. The Bill will make the crisis worse by: raising rents (through Pay to Stay tax and pushing more into private renting), ending secure tenancies, loss of council and housing association homes for rent, reducing Traveller sites, subsidised ‘starter’ homes for sale replacing really-affordable homes for rent, planning changes to speed up loss of public land and  reduce obligations on developers to provide genuinely affordable homes, and failure to control rents or improve security for private renters.

We call for determined and continued opposition in and outside Parliament to stop this Bill. 

 

Please see our evidence to Lords here  and our Briefing on the Housing Bill here: killthehousingbill.wordpress.com.