The LGIU in its morning press briefing to me today Sunday, draws my attention to the rebellion that is taking place in the House of Lords over this Tory Governments plan to drop long term tenancy agreements that Councils like Wolverhampton has for its Council tenants. I am very adverse to this Government policy objective which will have Council tenants paying rents closer to market value, once the combined salaries burst through the £30,000 barrier.
Picture by Shaun Fellows / Shine Pix Labour Party Councillors photography. Pictured is Cllr Phil Bateman
Peers against Housing and Planning Bill
Ministers are facing pressure to drop plans to end long-term, secure tenancies for families in social housing, amid rising concern that it would harm the education of children and damage family life. The former head of the civil service Lord Kerslake, a crossbench peer, backed by Labour and Liberal Democrat peers as well as other crossbenchers and bishops, said last night that the proposals, which were inserted by the government into the Housing and Planning Bill at the end of last year, were unacceptable. There is also alarm over the so-called “pay-to-stay” policy under which social housing tenants will have to pay rents closer to market rates once their household income passes £40,000 in London, or £30,000 for those outside the capital. Ministers also face revolts over plans for a new generation of “starter homes”, which many say will be unaffordable for new buyers, and proposals for the forced sale of council homes. The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England is also leading calls to amend parts of the bill which it believes will further limit the availability of affordable homes in rural areas.
