More than 100 activists gathered in person and online on the 11th October to plan a national tenants and residents (housing) union. The event was organised by SHAC as the basis for forming an independent action group that can transform the vision into reality. Attendees included those leading local action on their estates, regional groups… Continue reading Conference Agrees to Build a Housing Union
A single day in May has again thrown social housing into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A damning report has been published on rising disrepairs complaints, and the media reports the death of a baby in a decaying home owned by a housing association. On Thursday, the Housing Ombudsman published a new report… Continue reading Turning Simmering Anger into Social Action
SHAC was recently invited to collaborate with English for Action (EfA) in their newly established Tower Hamlets Housing Action Group involving migrant women from Bangladesh, Sudan and Iraq. EfA is a London wide charity that connects English language learning with community organising campaigning and migrants rights. The charity invited SHAC to help with a housing… Continue reading Empowering Tenants: SHAC and English for Action
By Michael Savell Last week I was invited to address the local planning board for the Royal Borough of Greenwich (where I live) having objected to the removal of 86 mature trees to facilitate an extension of Kidbrooke Village. My challenge was unsuccessful and planning permission was granted. I have to say that it is… Continue reading Greenwich Councillors’ Housing Sell Out
By Carl Davis Fiona Fletcher-Smith, chief executive of London and Quadrant (L&Q), who also chairs the G15 group of large landlords, recently wrote to Michael Gove, the UK's Secretary of State for Housing, to address concerns about the alleged widespread misuse of service charges in social housing. (Inside Housing 10/05/24 and Housing Today 10/05/24). Her… Continue reading G15 Chair wags finger at Michael Gove over service charge abuse
By Mary Pimm Despite the vile weather on the evening of Thursday 8th February, tenants gathered at a packed housing meeting in Westminster. It brought together those living on various ex-crown estates which had been transferred some time ago to Peabody Trust. The agenda had a single item only: the fact that Peabody proposes to… Continue reading Peabody Crown Estate Tenants Resist 9.4% Rent Rises
As major announcements go, this year's statement on the social rent cap (SRC) has to be one of the quietest in history. A page on the Regulator of Social Housing's website confirms government's return to the social rent cap formula. Unlike last year, there was no fanfare heralding its arrival. It means that the majority… Continue reading Social and Other Housing Assocation Rents to Rise by 7.7% in April
By Rona Jones* Residents in shared ownership flats in the new Circus Street development, Brighton have found themselves trapped in properties that they can no longer afford due to unexplained service charge increases of up to 170%. The block of flats that I live in are new builds, consisting of a mix of flats that… Continue reading Clarion Housing’s Circus Street: Unaffordable Housing
A coalition of housing campaigners protested the Affordable Housing Awards on Friday 17th November. The event was held at the prestigious Old Trafford grounds in Manchester. The awards are presented annually to councils, housing associations, and their partners at an event organised by Inside Housing magazine and Reach PLC. Tenants and residents expressed their anger… Continue reading Protestors’ Anger at ‘Affordable’ Housing Awards
Residents of One Housing Group from different but comparable blocks on the same estate (One Stratford) have pooled information about their service charges and found a level of randomness that defies explanation. It highlights what happens when landlords are allowed to impose charges without any external oversight or regulation. A survey across flats in George… Continue reading Residents Expose One Housing Group’s Service Charge Abuse
