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Labour Housing Group Newsletter - December 2020

This has been a big year for housing. The pandemic and its knock-on effects have changed the way wesee our homes, exacerbating problems we have known of for years but also showing how we canrespond quickly to an emergency.

Housing and homelessness policy areas have changed radically over the last 12 months. My work hasbeen dominated by the pandemic: confronting the government on homelessness, calling for greaterprotections for renters and drawing attention to inconsistencies in government support schemes.

In 2021, I will continue these and hold the Government to its promises following the Grenfell Towertragedy and pushing for zero-carbon, high quality housing. The Government must recognise thatzero-carbon housing is essential to meeting its net-zero emissions targets.

Over Christmas, I’ll reflect on my central priority - ensuring that everyone has a decent place to live.This is fundamental to Labour’s vision to make this country ia great place to grow up and grow old in. Ilook forward to continuing to work with you to make this a reality.I hope you enjoy a much-needed break. See you in 2021.

Thangam Debbonaire MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Housing

ELECTION BATTLEGROUND 2021Next year looks to be a busy one in the number and variety of seats upfor election. Additional contests are due to those postponed from 2020under the Coronavirus Act 2020. Those elected “a year late” in 2021 willserve three-year terms so as to maintain the four-year electoral-cycle.All County Councils have elections thisyear.36 metropolitan boroughs haveelections. Rotherham, Doncaster &Salford have all-out elections but thereare none in Birmingham. All the othershave one councillor per wardpostponed from 2020, plus by-elections.Unitary Authorities: 13 have electionsfor all councillors while 15 others electonly one third of councillors. Directly-elected mayors will be chosen in Bristol,Doncaster, Liverpool, North Tyneside,Salford.The London Mayor and the LondonAssembly elections are also due.The Combined Authority Mayors forCambridgeshire and Peterborough,

Greater Manchester, Liverpool CityRegion, Tees Valley, West Midlands,West of England, West Yorkshire are upfor election.62 out of the 182 Non-MetropolitanDistrict Councils will hold elections forone third of councillorsAll 129 members of the ScottishParliament and all 60 members of theSenedd Cymru are scheduled.All four police and crimecommissioners in Wales are up forelection.For more information seehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_Kingdom_local_elections

IN THIS ISSUEPage 1: Electionbattleground

Pages 2, 3: Stoppingevictions

Page 4: CouncilHomebuilding for the21st Century

Page 5: Heatedargument

Page 6: HealthInequality

Page 7: Burning issue

Page 8: Who we are

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_Kingdom_local_electionshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_Kingdom_local_elections

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loss of private tenancies (lower at 11% due to themoratorium on evictions).

Shelter estimate an eye-watering 320,000renters have been newly plunged into rentarrears since the start of the pandemic.

The London School of Economics reports that anestimated 55,000 households were given notice to

leave their homes by private landlords duringthe pandemic and that around 700,000

may fall into rent arrears in the next12 months.

Disturbingly, just last weekthe Joseph Rowntree

Foundation published findingsshowing a high proportion ofrenters were already reducing

spending on essentials, with 70%spending less on food and 49%

spending less on heating andelectricity. For those with children, 39%were spending less on children’s food and

nappies.

In response to the outcry, a ban on evictions wasintroduced by the Government as part of a seriesof housing support measures under theCoronavirus Act 2020.

This involved the suspension of ongoing housingpossession action in England and Wales for aperiod of 90 days from 27th March to 24th August2020.

More intervention needed

Many welcomed this much needed intervention.Regrettably, the postponement did not extend toall situations, excluding lodger arrangements andother occupiers such as commercial tenancies.

Whilst rapturous applause for our NHS staffrippled through the UK, the loophole affected ournurses, carers and other NHS workers as theywere asked to leave by their landlords.

Where government restrictions on eviction didnot apply, very few options were afforded tothem.

STOPPING AN EVICTIONS EXPLOSIONThe Government’s ‘circuit break’ on housingevictions was merely a sticking plaster, failing toprotect those most in need, safeguard theirhomes and build a stable foundation, strongenough to weather the turbulent times ahead.

A year ago, the word ‘Coronavirus’ was almostunheard of. In retrospect, lifeappeared to make sense and societalproblems continued to dominatefor the many less fortunate, notthe privileged few.

Nothing could have preparedus for the massivebombshell in 2020 andhow the pandemicwould exacerbate thealready prevalentsocioeconomic inequities inthe UK.

Widespread deprivation

So it will come as no surprise that researchshows basic housing needs are severely impactedby this pandemic, extending beyond thetraditional cohorts of deprivation.

We have seen a significant rise in the workingpoor - people on furlough and reduced workinghours - struggling to make ends meet, includingrental liabilities and mortgage repayments.

According to government figures at the end ofJune 2020, 98,300 homeless household wereliving in temporary accommodation, anunprecedented rise of 7% in just three monthsfrom 92,190 households at the end of March, anda rise of 14% in a year.

Risk of homelessness

Between April and June 2020, 63,570 householdsapproached the local authority and were found tobe homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The most common triggers of homelessnessduring the initial lock-down period werehouseholds no longer able to stay with family andfriends (33%), domestic violence (11%) and the

https://www.jrf.org.uk/housinghttps://www.jrf.org.uk/housing

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A reprieveIn June, another reprieve was announced,extending the moratorium for a further twomonths until 20 September 2020 to accompanythe re-opening of the courts and the introductionof the ‘tier’ system which varies with the severityof the pandemic.

To protect tenants where the public health riskwas highest, bailiffs were discouraged fromenforcing warrants where the lock-downmeasures were most restrictive.

Following the introduction of new nationalrestrictions in England, the Public Health(Coronavirus) Protections from Eviction and TakingControl of Goods (England) Regulation 2020 cameinto force on 17 November 2020 but offered onlylimited protection. Those in substantial rentarrears, defined as at least 9 months arrears atthe date of the Court Order (and not includingarrears accrued after 23rd March 2020), would beafforded no protection.

Notwithstanding this draconian legal imposition,few Government resources were offered to localcouncils to ease pressure on already strugglingservices.

What now?Despite recent measures to avert homelessnesssuch as the extension of notice periods for 6months, more affirmative action is needed toprevent renters from falling into arrears from theoutset.

An early intervention approach should bepromoted that can substantially reduce therisk of homelessness, including access to freelegal advice and assistance.Advice previously given under the Legal AidSentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012has been severely cut by the Tory Governmentand made inaccessible for those such as theworking poor.

There are now limited numbers of Legal Aidproviders throughout the country. They offer avital service but are now less able to meet theincreasing demand for assistance due to the lackof Government funding.

STOPPING AN EVICTIONS EXPLOSION (continued)Without ready access to justice, renters are oftenill-equipped to exercise their legal rights,especially when landlords have their own expertlegal representatives.

According to Shadow Justice Secretary, DavidLammy, “as we enter an economic crisis which couldlead to levels of joblessness not seen since the 1980s,the lack of legal representation will lead to injusticeon an industrial scale”. Moreover, we have seen acut of 36% to spending on criminal and civil legalaid funding advice over the past decade meaningthat legal representation is no longer available tothose who need it. More than 37 million people inEngland and Wales now live in a local authoritywithout a legal aid provider.

To compound matters, HM Courts and Tribunals(HMCTS) has revealed the backlog of court casesat the end of September 2020 stood at awhopping 509,347 in the Magistrates and 48,713in the County Court. This has left many in limbo,thus prolonging the fear and anguish andexacerbating mental health conditions.

Labour demands no one will lose their home

Thangam Debbonaire, Shadow Housing Secretaryreiterates that “An estimated 700,000 householdsare in rent arrears. For comparison, that is morethan the total number of households inBirmingham and Sheffield combined. Around halfof these households are two months behind – inEngland that means courts would be forced toautomatically grant repossession orders.

These numbers should shock governmentministers into action. They need to make realchanges to housing law and the benefits systemso they can keep their promise, that ‘no-one willlose their home because of this crisis’”.

ConclusionMany believe the temporary ban on evictionsdoes not go far enough, and with the economicrecession on the horizon it is even more crucialthat clear, well considered steps are taken at theearliest opportunity to safeguard homes.

Amanda Pinnock (LHG Executive Member)

(Further information on page 4)

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EVICTIONS EXPLOSION(continued)

USEFUL QUOTATIONSThangam Debbonaire(Shadow Secretary of State forHousing) on rent arrears andhomelessnesshttp://www.ukpol.co.uk/thangam-debbonaire-2020-letter-on-homelessness/

David Lammy – (ShadowMinister for Justice) on legal aidhttps://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2020-05-06.43826.

GETTING HELP

Shelter’s free housingadvice helpline runs 365days a year on 0808 8004444Citizens Advicehttps://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ can help you understandyour rights, particularly if youare negotiating a payment planwith your landlord.

Advice4Rentershttps://adviceforrenters.org/get-support can provide free orcheap legal advice plusrepresentation from specialists.

Get Rent Backhttps://www.getrentback.org/can help you claim money backfrom a landlord who broketerms of your agreement

Justice For Tenantshttps://justicefortenants.org/can support you in getting anunprotected deposit back.

Stepchange Debt Advicehttps://stepchange.org/ offersfree debt advice

Earlier this year at our LHG conference,one of our Patrons, James Murray MP,launched the Building Council HomesProject in partnership with LabourHousing Group.  Solving Britain’shousing crisis will need action for asustained period on many fronts,including reform of the privaterented sector, changes to themortgage market and financialregulation, and a properly fundedwelfare state to help people facinghomelessness.

But no response to the housingcrisis is complete withoutbuilding new homes, and history shows us that we will never buildall the homes we need without the public sector taking a leadingrole. The Commission plans to develop ideas for the next LabourGovernment to take forward for long term structural changes toenable 21st Century home building.

Since its launch in September 2020, the Steering Group hasbrought together Labour representatives and activists along withhousing experts from across the country with backgrounds indifferent tiers of local government with a track record in councilhomebuilding.

We are really grateful for the co-ordination support from LHGExecutive member Nick Bragger and LHG Secretary Sheila Spencerand very pleased that longstanding Labour Housing Groupmember Steve Hilditch is part of the Steering Group and leading onthe drafting of the final report.

The plan is to produce a report that describes councils’ currentachievements in building new council homes and identifies thelimits on their abilities to build more homes, particularly for socialrent, under the current regime.

It will set out what changes would be necessary to enable councilsto play a leading role in building the homes we need in the 21stCentury.

We want to understand what the right relationship should bebetween local and regional tiers of government and how 21stCentury council home building differs from previous generations.

Over the next few months we will be gathering submissionsfrom contributors and next spring we will meet as a projectteam to consider the detailed direction of the report.We plan to report in September 2021.Rachel Blake, Steering Group Chair

COUNCIL HOMES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

James Murray, MP

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In March 2019 the Government announced that new homeswould not be permitted to have gas- or-oil-fuelled boilersinstalled from 2025. The main option for alternative heating washeat-pumps, for which they have set a target of 600,000installations a year by 2028.

Affordability

Although Green Home Grants of up to £10,000 are available intheory, there are hoops to be jumped through even to receive£5,000. (A useful guide can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ghg2021.)

As well as the heat pump itself, there are considerable other costs.Typically, radiators operate at a much lower temperature andtherefore need to be larger and/or on for a longer period to reacha comfortable temperature.Another option is under-floor heating, but the costof retro-fitting it is high.In either case, thebuilding as a wholemust be well-insulated.

Won’t there be more“Green jobs”?

This part of the energyindustry in the UK isnot yet well-developedand most heat pumps aremade abroad, notably in Japan.

Aren’t there big savings to be made in running costs?

Not if mains gas is available, as the saving over the cost of theelectricity for powering an air source heat pump is not significant.

Paul Martin

A HEATED ARGUMENT?

ISSUES FOR LABOUR○ How will this affect Labour’s

pledge to build one million genuinelyaffordable new homes over 10 years?

○ Unless UK manufacturing capacity isgreatly increased, how will significantlymore “Green jobs” result?

○ How does this technology benefit thosewho live in flats or terraced houses?

○ Is this the best use ofgovernment subsidies?

WHAT ABOUT JAPAN?Japan has put enormous efforts into alternativeenergy, due to a lack of oil and gas resources, thepolluting nature of coal and the devastation of theFukushima nuclear incident.

Its post-war success has been driven by close co-operation between Government and industry, stressinginnovation and collaboration. It is the global leader inthe manufacture of heat pumps and hasalready achieved 550,000 installations per year.

WHAT IS A HEAT PUMP?It works like an air-conditioning unit in reverse,using a coolant liquid to moveheat to where it is required.

There are two main types – airsource and ground source.Both need electricity topower them.

GREEN HOME GRANTSThe Green Homes Grantvouchers will be available to:

● All homeowners in owner-occupied homes

● Landlords of private sectordomestic properties

● Landlords of social sectordomestic properties,including LA-owned homes

● Residential park home-owners

https://tinyurl.com/ghg2021.)https://tinyurl.com/ghg2021.)https://tinyurl.com/ghg2021.)

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In the late 1960's, research into British civilservants showed that if a person was working in alower-grade role, they were more likely to havehealth problems - or even die at a younger age.

This held true even if account was taken of all thefactors that might lead to higher rates of disease, forexample, smoking or being overweight.

This large-scale study followed a very stablepopulation over several years. Follow up studiesdrew the same conclusions and a further study inthe in early 1980s which included women foundthat they, too, were more likely to have healthissues if working at a lower grade.

In 2005 the World Health Organisation set up aCommission on Social Determinants of Healthwhich was led by Professor Marmot. This wasfollowed up in 2010 by a review of healthinequalities in England and recently the HealthFoundation has funded a 10 year follow-upstudy.

What do these studies show?

Being poor is bad for your health, not becauseof the choices you make but because theissues that you face in daily life are morelikely to cause health problems.

These alarming statistics show dramatic drops inlife expectancy in London moving eastwards fromthe wealthy borough of Westminster.

Years of austerity in social welfare funding haveprobably reversed the previously rising trend oflife expectancy in England (which was the focus ofthe study).

All too often, media and politicians talk aboutlifestyle choices or taking responsibility for one’sown health but Professor Marmot’s research isclear that this is not about choice.

The data shows that children living in poorerneighbourhoods have less access to the safe playareas needed for exercise and are also morelikely to suffer from asthma due to poor housing

HEALTH INEQUALITY IN ENGLANDconditions. The ability to buy healthy food at anaffordable price and the skills and knowledge toprepare enjoyable meals are key to having ahealthy diet.

Too often children in care are not taught cookingskills or how to shop on a budget; no wonder theystruggle when they must fend for themselves.

We need to give thought as to how to tackle theseproblems and how a fairer society can ensurepeople’s lives are not blighted by lack ofopportunity but instead are able to fulfil theirpotential to live healthily and happily.

Karen Bollan (Fellow of Royal Society of Public Health)

Healthwatch Tower Hamlets

NHS England definition of health inequalities:

“Health inequalities are unfair and avoidabledifferences in health across the population, andbetween different groups within society. Healthinequalities arise because of the conditions inwhich we are born, grow, live, work and age. Theseconditions influence our opportunities for goodhealth, and how we think, feel and act, and thisshapes our mental health, physical health andwellbeing.”https://www.england.nhs.uk/ltphimenu/definitions-for-health-inequalities/

Useful links:

http://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/about-us/about-professor-sir-michael-marmothttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-profile-for-england/chapter-6-social-determinants-of-health

https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_3

https://www.health.org.uk/publications/reports/the-marmot-review-10-years-on

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241502290 (Housing)

Professor Michael Marmot has led research into health inequalities for the past 30 years and was PrincipalInvestigator of the Whitehall Studies which investigated this social gradient in morbidity (illness) and mortality (death).

https://www.health.org.uk/videos/watch-the-marmot-review-10-years-onhttps://www.health.org.uk/videos/watch-the-marmot-review-10-years-onhttps://www.england.nhs.uk/ltphimenu/definitions-for-health-inequalities/https://www.england.nhs.uk/ltphimenu/definitions-for-health-inequalities/http://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/about-us/about-professor-sir-michael-marmothttp://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/about-us/about-professor-sir-michael-marmothttp://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/about-us/about-professor-sir-michael-marmothttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-profile-for-england/chapter-6-social-determinants-of-healthhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-profile-for-england/chapter-6-social-determinants-of-healthhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-profile-for-england/chapter-6-social-determinants-of-healthhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-profile-for-england/chapter-6-social-determinants-of-healthhttps://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_3https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_3https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_3https://www.health.org.uk/publications/reports/the-marmot-review-10-years-onhttps://www.health.org.uk/publications/reports/the-marmot-review-10-years-onhttps://www.health.org.uk/publications/reports/the-marmot-review-10-years-onhttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241502290https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241502290https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241502290

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BURNING ISSUE - NOTRE DAME CATHEDRALBurning buildings have a horrible fascination – last year, thousands of Parisians watched Notre DameCathedral burn for hours. There were casualties among the firefighters, but fortunately no deaths.

Recent film footage of it on BBC TV under the Storyville banner, showed the significance of the lossand the bravery of the firefighters, but in most respects it is yet another tale of ineptitude in highplaces.

The UK Health and SafetyExecutive says that:

Building owners must carry out afire safety risk assessment. Theymust keep it up to date andensure that adequate andappropriate fire safety measuresare in place to minimise the riskof injury or loss of life in the eventof a fire. They should identifywhat could cause a fire to startand the people who may be atrisk.

If that had been done in thecase of the Cathedral, it didn’tappear in the film.

It seems there were no sensorsto warn of overheating in theroof space which was full ofancient wooden beams andknown as ‘the forest’.

It didn’t look as though therewas the necessary equipmentto tackle such an enormousblaze or that there were up-to-date plans for evacuation.

So it was fortunate that thefire took so long to gain ahold.

Astonishingly, even after thehuge spire had collapsed it wasdecided to send in 20-40firefighters just to protect thethe famous facade.

This was despite there being noremaining civilians inside to berescued.

The main concern seems to have been for holy relics and arttreasures that were believed to still be inside in a safe, though thecuratorial staff were unclear where that was located and initiallylacked the keys.

The film shows the fire chief taking a decision whether to send inthe firefighters’ - at what looked like appalling risk to themselves -with President Macron standing next to him.No pressure, then?

The film is documentary in style and shows, rather than tells, whathappened. What is revealed is a lack of forethought, insufficientdetailed, accurate information and inadequate equipment for aninferno on this scale.

The Cathedral authorities seem completely unprepared for such anevent and were depending upon heroic firefighters - or perhaps amiracle - to save their treasures.

It was as though they believed the Cathedral was “too holy toburn”.

This fire brigade, the Sapeurs Pompier de Paris is part of the FrenchArmed Forces. Their individual bravery is exemplary but they areled by Generals whose motto is ‘Save or Perish’ .

Perhaps they should adopt a new one, something more like ‘Plan,prepare and be professional’.

Paul Martin

PS Nothing of this sort could happen here, could it?

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£ APPEAL £ APPEAL £ APPEAL £ APPEAL £If you cannot spare time and energy, you can stillhelp us in our work by making a donation by banktransfer to:

“Labour Housing Group”, Account number50478080, Sort code 08-90-06,

Co-operative Bank, PO Box 1AN, Blandford Street,Newcastle, NE99 1AN.

Of course, you can also send a cheque madepayable to “Labour Housing Group” c/o TheTreasurer, Flat 2, 8 Torrington Park, LondonN12 9SS

PLEASE QUOTE “LHG2020 CAMPAIGN”

LHG EXECUTIVE 2020LHG's Executive was elected at

the AGM 21st March 2020 for thetwo years to 2022.

Executive members

Andy Bates (co-opted)

Janet Berry

John Bevan

Rachel Blake

Nick Bragger (co-opted)

John Cotton

Ed Derrick

Gerard Heffey (co-opted)

Ross Houston

Heather Johnson

Paul Martin

Amanda Pinnock

Sheila Spencer

Christopher Worrall (co-opted)

WHAT IS THE LABOURHOUSING GROUP?

The Labour Housing Group is alobbying group that is affiliatedto the Labour Party anddedicated to the developmentof a socialist housing policy.

You can contact us athttp://labourhousing.org/contact and join us athttps://labourhousing.org/membership/

Individuals must be membersof the Labour Party and agreeto be bound by Labour Partyrules and the LHG constitution.

For readers new to housing policy issues,Labour Housing Group publishes a series of shortguides aimed at a wide readership.

Our six published Briefings on current topicsinclude Homelessness, Rough Sleeping, AffordableHousing, Private Renting Sector, Rural Housing andLeasehold Reform.

They can be foundat:https://labourhousing.org/resources/lhg-briefings/

Forthcoming issueswill cover, Right toBuy, SustainableHomes and CouncilHomes.

If you would like to contribute, please email ourPolicy Officer, Paul Martin atpauljmartin@clara.co.uk.

Opinions expressed here are not necessarily thoseof the Labour Housing Group.

LHGBriefingLHGBriefingLHGBriefingLHGBriefing

LHGBriefing

BRIEFINGS

https://labourhousing.org/contact/https://labourhousing.org/contact/https://labourhousing.org/membership/https://labourhousing.org/membership/https://labourhousing.org/resources/lhg-briefings/https://labourhousing.org/resources/lhg-briefings/https://labourhousing.org/resources/lhg-briefings/mailto:pauljmartin@clara.co.ukmailto:pauljmartin@clara.co.uk