Right to Rent campaign joins Shelter at the Wall of Shame

Leeds Tenants Federation's Right to Rent campaigners joined forces with Shelter when the housing charity brought its Wall of Shame to Leeds.

The Wall of Shame raises awareness of the devastating effect that the lack of affordable rented housing is having on families and children.

Campaigners signed bricks to go on the wall and to be sent to Government calling on them to invest in 20,000 more social rented homes per year.

The Right to Rent Campaign is now supported by all six regional residents organisations and the national tenants organisation, TAROE, has also given its backing to Leeds Tenants Federation's campaign.

Leeds Tenants Federation has drawn up a Right to Rent Charter calling on Government to increase investment in social housing.

The North West Assembly of Tenants, the North East Council of Tenants & Residents, Yorkshire, the Humber Federation of Tenants & Residents, the Midlands Tenants Forum, Fort SW and London Tenants Federation all all now consulting their members on the Charter.

Leeds Tenants Federation has mounted a speaking tour of the regions building support for the campaign. It is understood that TAROE, the national tenants organisation of England is coming on board, making the Right to Rent a powerful national issue.

The Charter sent out for discussion calls on the Government to overhaul the housing subsidy system to allow councils to invest their rents in new build, while also calling for restrictions to be imposed on the buy to let or buy to 'leave' market.

A petition calling on Leeds Council to support the building of new affordable rented housing was presented to the city’s Housing Chief on Monday March 5 by the Right to Rent campaign.

Leeds Tenants Federation’s Right to Rent campaign presented the 3,500 signature petition to Cllr Les Carter, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods & Housing in a gift box shaped like a council house while supporters brandished a 6 foot pledge card, similar to the smaller version signed by Leeds residents in support of the Right to Rent.

Michael Hall, chair of Leeds Tenants Federation said: “The Council must make a commitment to create more social rented housing and not just homes to buy. We are calling on the Council to replace the social rented housing that has been lost and that continues to be lost through demolition and sales.”

But Cllr Les Carter, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods & Housing dismissed the campaign as "unrealistic". He said that building the amount of social rented homes called for by the campaign was beyond the means of local government.

Early feedback from Leeds' Housing Market Assessment suggests that at least 1,889 affordable homes must be built each year for at least the next 6 years.

The Council's affordable housing plan (see affordable housing plan), looks set to deliver 1000 new homes through a variety of means, including a new strategic partnership to donate land for new building.

Leeds Tenants Federation argue that new targets for social house building should be set - alongside overall affordable homes targets - to replace council homes lost to demolition.

Michael Hall said: “We are confident that the council is committed to doing what it can to create more affordable housing. But they must make a commitment to build more social rented housing. They must stop the mass demolition of council homes and they must launch a new social rented house-building programme.”

Around 5000 more council homes may be demolished over the next few years according to major regeneration plans for East and West Leeds. Leeds Tenants Federation is calling on the Council to end the demolition of council homes unless they can replace them. They are calling on the council to resolve that for every home lost, a new social rented property must be built.

Over three thousand residents have signed the Right to Rent petition calling on Leeds City Council to make social rented housing a priority in its strategy for affordable homes in the city. The Right to Rent campaign has staged public events in the city centre, and at many neighbourhood centres, raising awareness about the lack of choice for people who need to find affordable rents in Leeds.

The Right to Rent campaign is asking the council to:
· develop a land bank that can be transferred to housing associations (and ALMOs if they win new financial freedoms) at nil or low cost for the development of social rented homes
· and set a target of developing 1,500 social rented homes a year through planning agreements and by supporting housing association new build programmes

In their delegation to the Council, Leeds Tenants Federation’s Right to Rent campaign argued the need to replace the social rented housing that has been lost and that continues to be lost through clearance and sales. They point to the loss of almost 27,000 affordable rented homes since 1981 in Leeds and the likelihood that there will be only 5,000 social rented homes available to let by 2016.

Julia Freer added: “The council needs to take very definite action now to stop a housing crisis in the growing economy of Leeds. At current levels of building it would take 83 years to get back to the levels of social housing we had in 1995. Even with a new build programme of 1,200 new social homes a year – and that is six times the current rate – by 2010 we would still only be back to the numbers of affordable rented homes we had in 2003.”

The Right to Rent campaign hopes to persuade Leeds City Council that:

· An affordable homes policy needs a healthy social rented sector to provide a full range of housing options
· The growth of the Leeds economy depends on increasing the provision of social rented housing.
· Social rented housing is a tenure of choice for many people and not just a tenure of last resort

By 2016 there will only be 5000 social homes available to let - and only 3,800 council homes (see link to the right). Nearly all lettings will have to go to homeless families if the council is to meet its legal obligations. In many areas of Leeds now it appears almost impossible to find a rented home with the council or housing associations. Fifty people bid for every home on offer, 500 people compete for one home in a popular area.

With over six thousand council homes lost through Right to Buy, only 360 new homes built by housing associations in the last three years and major plans for demolition in the near future, horror stories like these are bound to increase:

“There are five of us here in a 2 bed flat and although we love the flat we need another bedroom. We’ve been told you can now choose where you want to live but when a house comes up on this estate, I am told there’s no chance whatsoever of getting it, we have to widen our area and move away.”

“For two years my son has been bidding for a home, making three bids a week. He currently lives between family and friends, mostly sleeping on a sofa – not much good for a bus driver and what 34 year old really wants to live with his Mother?”

“I have been trying to get a transfer since July 2005. I only have General Needs despite having 3 girls aged from 11 to 14 and a step son age 21 with cystic fibrosis who sleeps on the sofa in the living room”

“I have been on the Leeds housing register since October 2004 and supposedly priority since October 2005. I am living in a 2 bedroom back-to-back house, currently sharing one bedroom with my 17 year old daughter and 11 year old son, my sister and her daughter occupy the second bedroom.”

We are calling on decision-makers to recognise that more social rented housing is needed in Leeds as a matter of acute urgency.

Home-ownership is not an option for at least 30% of the population. The lowest house prices in Leeds are almost four times the average manual wage. Most of the new jobs being created in Leeds are in the service sector. Studies show you would need four of these jobs to be able to buy a home.

We believe that social renting is a tenure of choice not a tenure of last resort. We are calling on Leeds Council to do everything in its power to support the development of more social rented housing in the city.