A Lambeth Green Party London Assembly candidate is urging those who rely on affordable housing to march on Downing Street to protest against the government’s Housing and Planning Bill this week.
Community film-maker Rashid Nix argues that the bill will slash the number of affordable housing to rent, both social and private, throughout the capital and is encouraging others to march with him on January 30.
Lambeth is one of the most desperate areas in need of affordable housing with a council house waiting list of around 21,000 and 3,000 new applications each year.
Mr Nix said: “Wake up Londoners! The bricks and mortar of our communities are being sold from around us.
“The Housing and Planning Bill sounds the death knell for council estates and housing association homes in London.
“Let this go through and in a few years ordinary Londoners will have all been forced out and living in the capital will be a privilege only the super-rich and wealthy can afford.”
The Green Party mayoral candidate and Camden Councillor Sian Berry echoed Mr Nix’s call to action and urged London residents to vote for her party at the election in May.
She said: “This bill and the plans to demolish our estates make absolutely explicit this government’s intent to get rid of council housing completely.
“We can resist this in London with a Green Mayor and Assembly Members in City Hall.”
Proposals in the bill mean approximately 180,000 affordable low-rent homes could be sold or not built in the next five years, with no commitment to replace them like-for-like.
Lambeth is one of the most desperate areas in need of affordable housing with a council house waiting list of around 21,000 and 3,000 new applications each year.
Green Party Work and Pensions spokesman Jonathan Bartley, argued that there is little chance of money from sold houses being reinvested in to building new ones.
He said: “There is no record of the money made on selling houses, being invested in new homes.
“They say they are going to build all these council homes, but it’s a drop in the ocean.
“The pattern is that whole communities are being destroyed.”
The Kill the Housing Bill march will start from the Imperial War Museum at 12pm and aim to reach Downing Street for 2pm.
Picture courtesy of Number 10, with thanks
