Lambeth Housing Activists Film Night

Reposted from Lambeth Housing Activists

Housing Activists Film Night
Saturday 26th April, 7:30pm
St Matthew’s Tenants Hall, 10 St Matthews Road, Brixton, SW2 1NH
Let us know you’re coming on facebook

A night of films celebrating the struggle for decent housing in our communities (part of the Radical Housing Weekender).

As the housing crisis in the capital deepens – with homelessness on the rise, one in ten London homes overcrowded, rents far outstripping earnings, and private landlords running amok – join us at St. Matthew’s Tenants Hall for a reminder of what can be achieved through collective action against these problems.

We will be showing a series of short films which give an insight into housing activism, past and present, and aim to provide acknowledgement and encouragement both to those who are precariously housed and those fighting to combat this social ill.

The films will show contemporary projects, such as the campaign to save and expand social housing in Cressingham Gardens, and inspirational historical examples, such as the co-operative living spaces established by the Brixton Faeries in the 1970s.

In addition to the short film screenings, there will be an opportunity to hear from activists and local residents and, most importantly, for discussion. There will be people from a number of different housing campaigning organizations in Brixton the E15 mothers a group of 29 young mothers organising’ to stop the hostel they live in being closed are coming to say a bit about their campaign. We will more during the week.

The films should be interesting but just as important is the opportunity for us all to spend some time socializing and having fun.

There are drinks at the bar.

No Clapham Park Evictions

Reposted from Housing Action for Southwark and Lambeth

Protest – No To Clapham Park Evictions
Monday 31st March, 11.30 am
Clapham Park Offices, 91 New Park Road, SW2 4AX
Organised by Lambeth Housing Activists

What would you do if suddenly you and your family were forced out of your home after three years? Would you allow landlords to kick you down and let the council leave you to rot in temporary accommodation miles from your community? Would you stand up? Then stand up with us too!

Join us and Lambeth Housing Activists to support a recently evicted tenant to make a public complaint to Metropolitan Homes and Lambeth Council – we ask, why should a family be evicted from their home and yet the flat remains empty? Why is there a shortage of quality, secure, and truly affordable housing in Lambeth?

What are the priorities of this council and these landlords? Housing for homes, not as assets! Stop the gentrification of Brixton!

[UPDATE: Metropolitan backed down on 4th April and agreed to rehouse Ester in Clapham Park. More details here. Thanks to everyone who supported the campaign]

Housing Cooperatives in the South London Press

Earlier this month the Lambeth United Housing Co-operative organised a photo call in defence of their housing co-ops. This event was extensively covered by last week’s local press. We’ve now received several follow up letters in this week’s South London Press. Congratulations to the Lambeth United Housing Co-operative for getting such good publicity

Housing Cooperatives are on TV

Congratulations to the Lambeth United Housing Coop for getting a special feature of BBC Inside Out London. You can watch the film here

Lambeth Housing Coops in the National Press

The campaign to save the short life housing cooperatives in Lambeth has been getting very good media coverage. Not only has it got in the local press (see here and here) but it’s also got in the national press. The Guardian published an article in December and the New Statesman published an article in January

This is clearly a popular campaign, and one Lambeth SOS urges all our supporters to get involved with. Watch this space, or contact us, for more details on how

Lambeth United Housing Cooperative in the national press

Lambeth United Housing Cooperative has always been very good at getting coverage in local papers. But recently they have done even better and got coverage in the national papers. You can read the Guardian article here

Lambeth Save Our Services is proud to support the Lambeth United Housing Cooperative in their campaign for affordable housing. If you want to know how you can help with the campaign please contact us

Delegation to Lambeth Council

As well as having a protest outside the council meeting on 20th November we also sent a delegation inside. Pilgrim Tucker from Unite Community read the following statement. It was greeted with cheers from the public gallery and muted murmurs of approval from some councillors

My name is Pilgrim Tucker. I am the co-ordinator of Unite the Union Community membership in London. I am presenting this deputation with members of Unite Community in Lambeth and other housing activists on behalf of many local groups and individuals who are urging Lambeth Council to do more for their residents on the issue of social housing in the borough.

For some time now we have been working alongside tenants, residents and members of the community on the issue of decent, affordable homes for all. What we have found and continue to fight against is the anxiety, uncertainty and insecurity caused by the wretched bedroom tax and benefit caps brought in by this government.

These measures will hit thousands in our community. Across the borough tenants are living with the fear of homelessness because of rent arrears and the possibility of being uprooted from neighbourhoods where they may have lived all their lives.The council should act to prevent this insecurity, by reassuring the tenants that they will not be evicted due to the bedroom tax, and set an example to housing associations that are already starting legal proceedings against tenants.

To add to this council property and land is being sold to private developers leading to a reduction in social housing in the borough. Where new tenancies for social housing for tenants are proposed they include unaffordably high rents and shorter, more insecure tenancies.

The policy of ‘short life’ recall threatens people who have been in their homes since the 1970s. Pensioners are among these people who have maintained social housing that the council abandoned. These people were given categorical promises by their Labour councillors that their right to stay in their homes would be defended!

The council says it is using the proceeds from the sale of council owned land and void properties to refurbish existing council properties, but this is a short sighted approach. We need to stop the sale of existing council housing and go further – to start to build new social housing which is available at rents that ordinary local people can actually afford to pay.

Without such action we will see soaring rents and the destruction of secure tenancies for our communities, and risk the loss of the vibrant diverse population and culture for which Lambeth is rightly celebrated.

To have a decent home is a basic human need without which well-being and progress is not possible. With the increase in soup kitchens and homelessness in Lambeth we call upon this council to:

Make a public commitment that no legal action will be taken against tenants who are in arrears due to the the bedroom tax and benefit cuts.

Take no disciplinary action against staff that refuse to be involved with legal action and evictions against tenants.

Give tenancies to those currently occupying short life co-op housing in Lambeth.

Stop the transfer of council land and property to private developers.

Build 100% council homes at low rents with secure tenancies.

Pressure the government to abolish the bedroom tax, restore benefit cuts and undergo a massive, publicly owned house building programme to end this crisis.

Housing Coops in the Lambeth Weekender

Congratulations to the Lambeth United Housing Cooperative for getting this article in the Lambeth Weekender

Save Brixton from Property Developers – Protest this Wednesday

Lots of people will be protesting outside the full council meeting this Wednesday:

• Students & Teachers want Lambeth Council to Stop the Sale of Brixton College to Developers
• Lambeth Housing Activists want the council to Build More Council Housing with no evictions due to Benefits Cuts of Bedroom Tax
• Lambeth United Housing Coop and residents of Cressingham Gardens want the council to stop the sale of Council Property

We’re having a united protest outside the Town Hall from 6pm on Wednesday 20th November

Many people will be meeting outside Lambeth College on Brixton Hill from 5pm to march to Lambeth Town Hall

Please come, and please bring all your friends.

Housing Cooperatives in the Brixton Bugle

This month’s Brixton Bugle has a good interview will Jules Hall from the Lambeth United Housing Cooperative

Lambeth Save Our Services has been proud to support the campaign for housing cooperatives to provide affordable accommodation to people in Lambeth.

There’s lots of other good articles in the Brixton Bugle. There’s an article on the campaign to Save Lambeth College in Brixton. There’s also an article on what happened to workers in the Brixton Remploy factory after it closed. Disabled People Against the Cuts has been doing work on this issue.