Housing Emergency - Time for an Alternative

Stop the gentrification of our towns and cities and provide affordable social housing to give everyone a chance

I am against the transfer of the Council Housing stock particularly in Gloucester where I live. I think that tenants are only being given a biased and one sided argument. Tenants are not being given the whole truth. If the transfer goes ahead , slowly but surely everything will change, we will have less and less rights. I doubt whether this is a truly legal and democratic process. I think they are relying on the tenants being gullible. We are not.

Kepp our London Council flats under Council management. We do not have to claim Housing and Council Benefits to top up our bacic/ min living wages in London- Working Tax Cr payment. .

ENABLE LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO BUY BACK THE COUNCIL HOUSES AND BUILD MORE.

i'm a labour party member but their plans to put housing benefit in the hands of local councils will be worse council tax has doubled in a year for disabled people since councils all but scrapped ct benefit they'll do the same with hb if they proceed with this blatantly tory policy

12 years ago Featured

I am a hard working mother of two. Totally caught in the rental trap and forced to live away from family because I can't afford London rental prices. Desperately trying to save for a deposit to buy a home but due to such high morgage repayments can't see that happening. All I want is a comfortable home near family ..this situation feels so desperate at times its depressing.

We recently had a public meeting blocked in the East End of Glasgow (very near the site of the main Commonwealth games venues and the Games Village), on the basis that our 'Housing Crisis' meeting was causing "unnecessary unrest". We argues that unrest was in fact very "necessary" given the housing crisis, It's time there was a lot more of this necessary unrest! http://gamesmonitor2014.org/2014/03/17/housing-meeting-blocked-in-bridgeton/

everyone knows its a crisis so a petition has little value. i know how to create social housing without using housing associations and making a difference. lets do something not complain!

This has become a housing crisis. It must stop! It is so important that we start making the government listen to our needs they work for us! We need more social housing, prisoners have better housing then we do.

The Conservative Party have used the shortage of decent housing for a concerted attack on working people. It's a shameful situation instigated by a bunch of Tory upper class millionaires.

12 years ago Featured

Far too many homes standing empty because of this bedroom tax and far too many people homeless .... this is a crazy situation where we force people into the private rented sector where housing costs are hugely higher, while the homeless sleep in B & B's or on the streets ... time for change

THis is now a national emergency AND a scandal. We need to act collectively

I do not want inherited assets previous generations paid for sold off to third parties motivated by profit. The council represent the people who elected them. Selling off our assets does not reflect the desire of the citizens no matter how they are encouraged, hood-winked or bribed. There is a moral obligation to invite those citizens you serve to have a say, after all this is supposed to be a democracy not a smash and grab what you can get while you can! Ruthless thieves and thugs in charge everywhere you look these days. No wonder this nation is going down the pan, it's all me, me, me, what an example they set us! No trust, no integrity, no justice to be found in the powerful corrupt, though time pays its due and ugly deeds haunt the soul long thereafter.

Thank you for the opportunity to sign this petition. I am an ardent advocate of Council Housing, having grown up in one of the post-war New Towns. We moved from Tottenham to Harlow Essex in 1964 because of serious overcrowding. The new town was beautiful and welcoming with 75% of the housing stock Council owned. The sell off - which my parents took advantage of in good faith, believing the Government assurance that two or more would be built for every one sold - ruined the town and continues to cause problems, problems that are the often unacknowledged side effect of diluting a sense of security. When growing up, it never once occurred to me or my parents, that the council house we lived in for over 25 years was anything other than 'our home'. It felt secure, and that engendered an appreciation and respect for the neighbourhood which pervaded the town. The sell off fractured that collective sense of pride in community, and the privatisation measures continue that insidious process. I believe the post-war Council House programme wasn't a freebie hand-out, but due recompense for the efforts of working class people who bravely fought, and lets face it, did most of the dying in the two World Wars. People also forget, that the working class constituted over 60% of the workforce in this country and were the largest net contributor to the public purse by far. My dissertation research for my design degree was on social housing. I can see through the lies of 'subsidising' and de-incentivising people; my parents house was built in 1952 for around £2000, they paid rent for 20 years and were the second tenants, it was solidly built and needed very little in the way of maintenance - it still has the same roof today. My parents house was sold off but had it not, the council would have been in clear profit by now. Let me know if I can be of any assistance in your cause. Kind regards, Douglas Montgomery

The real benefit scroungers are greedy slum landlords

12 years ago Featured

the absurdity of current social housing is broughthome by the crazyroomtax brought in because people can't move to smaller properties because they don't exist!

Good luck

its time the public realised that selling off state/borough resources and services benefit none - but the rich and those with vested interests(oh the rich).While the selling off of council houses in the 80's temporarily buffered the state/council coffers, it has left our citizens with little option but expensive private tenancies. Properties are being bought piecemeal by people intent on buy to let (this pushes up house prices and stops those able to, to buy their first house). In turn this increases the pressure on private rents. This leads to a higher cost in housing benefits. So the working poor and unwaged are massively supporting private landlords. Or you could also say the state is feeding private landlords. Pensioners/disabled and working poor are being pushed to desperation and suicide. If you want to make a change petition your mp/councillors, take part in protests, look for a political body and contact them > have found www.tusc.org.uk to be the best so far. stand tall, stand firm, but stand up

I remember the Torries telling us 30 year ago it was the fault of young single mothers getting pregnant, to get a council flat, and elderly people who refuse to move out of their large houses, after their children left home that where to blame for the shortage of council housing. Why blame others and turn different parts of society against each other when we know they should have been building council houses not selling them off Maggy. If a family wait 25 year to get a council house, and have to live in a overcrowded home until one come available, don't expect them to move out or get into debt renting of scrupulous land lords when they have no other options. Move them to a more suitable home by build more suitable homes for them to move too. Don't let them get into debt, or have to leave homes that have been adapted for them if they are disabled. It doesn't make any sense. Mind you nothing in this day and age makes much sense. Well let me burst another bubble for you, they are not, and will not, be building any more council houses, you my get a room in one of the many privet jails they will build and take you to for being homeless provided by G4S. I wounder how good the security will be in them or will we have to bring the army in, to do the job properly. Here we are again 30 years on and several burst bubbles later and still not enough social housing. They are quite happy to see privet rents going up, it will encourage people to join the (try and buy scam) the government has thought up this time around. After all we should not be so surprised when they don't want to supply council housing. It goes against what the government stands for. They want you to pay for their second homes, and all the fixtures and fittings, but go without a home yourself. It is not on the agenda to build social housing, it doesn't fit in with the commercialization of our lives. We may want to aspire to owning are own home. That's what the Government say's we all should wa

12 years ago Featured

Would like to rent a council flat in my local area but I'm a very low priority. Currently spending 45% of my net income on private rent.