Kill the Housing Bill Campaign Update

[Mark Brown]

 Ref: <http://killthehousingbill.wordpress.com/>.  




---------- Original Message ----------
From: killthehousingbill at gmail.com
To: KtHBannounce <kthbannounce at googlegroups.com>
Date: 08 May 2016 at 22:11
Subject: [kthbannounce] kill the housing bill Campaign Update
 
The Housing Bill is still being held up in Parliament; it goes back to MPs  and
the Lords again on Mon 9th and Tue 10th.   If opposition is determined  enough
to keep challenging it past this Thursday the Bill could be delayed
significantly.


Can you *email or phone key MPs and Lords in the next 48 hours *asking them to
keep up the opposition?  See our statement below challenging the  Government's
arguments, with some key names to contact. 


We will be *outside Parliament this Wed 11th from 12 noon* at Old Palace Yard
SW1P 3JY  in protest - come with banners and placards if you can.


Other campaign dates
*Sat 21 May*   10am - 1pm  *Still kill the housing bill: *organising next steps
.  All welcome:   at Bloomsbury Central Baptist church 235 Shaftesbury Ave,
London WC2H 8EP
                          1pm  Parliament Square  Gypsy Traveller march against
the Housing Bill


*18 June *      second national march against the Housing Bill
 
 
Contact MPs and Lords with our statement (see below):
 
Key opposition MPs 
John Healey (Labour, Housing) john.healey.mp@*parlia*ment.uk 
 <http://parliament.uk/>  T: 020 7219 6359, 01709 875943, @johnhealey_mp 
<https://twitter.com/JohnHealey_MP>
Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour, Planning) woodsr at parliament.uk  T: 020 7219
4982,  0191 374 1915, @robertabwmp <https://twitter.com/robertabwMP>
Teresa Pearce (Labour, Housing ) teresa.pearce.mp at parliament.uk  T: 020 7219
6936   *@tpearce003* <https://twitter.com/tpearce003>
Rosie Winterton (Labour, chief whip)  rosie.winterton.mp at parliament.uk  T: 020
7217 3000 - ask for her office
Jeremy Corbyn (Labour leader) jeremy.corbyn.mp at parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 3545,
*@jeremycorbyn* <https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn>
Caroline Lucas (Green MP)  caroline.lucas.mp at parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 7025
 *@carolinelucas* <https://twitter.com/CarolineLucas>


Key Lords
Lord (Roy) Kennedy  (Labour, Housing)  kennedyro at parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 1772
*@lordroykennedy* 


<https://twitter.com/LordRoyKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor>
Lord (Jeremy) Beecham (Labour, Housing)  beechamj at parliament.uk  T: 020 7219
5353 @jeremybeecham <https://twitter.com/JeremyBeecham>
Lord (Steve) Bassam (Labour chief whip)   via  contactholmember at parliament.uk
 T: 020 7219 5353 
Lord Kerslake (cross bench) via contactholmember at parliament.uk  T: 0207 219 5353
Lord Best (crossbench) best at parliament.uk  T: 020 7219 6799
 
Kill the Housing Bill  campaign statement  7.5.16 
 We oppose the Housing and Planning Bill because it means more insecurity,  high
rents and housing anxiety now and for generations.  We welcome many of the
amendments and concessions conceded due to opposition in the Lords, but remain
extremely worried about the overall detrimental impact of this Bill,  and cannot
see any positive reason to support even an amended version.
 
We call on MPs and Lords who share our concerns to continue the opposition.
 Action to delay the legislation and expose the lack of consensus around it,
will help in future challenges.


Many of the most potentially damaging measures in the Bill were not part of the
Government’s Manifesto.  The Manifesto promise of more starter homes did not say
this would be at the expense of existing and future council and housing
association homes for rent.   
 
This Bill is not a ‘financial measure’ and so the Parliament Act should not  be
used to obstruct legitimate opposition.  It is a far-reaching attempt to reshape
housing provision by undermining non-market alternatives and tenant  rights.  It
is not a ‘financial measure’ unless every central or local government  change
 is also to be classed in this way.  
 
Already 69% of people in Britain say we are in a housing crisis [*details  here*
<http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/30/housing-crisis-poll-city-country-split-blame>].


 The Bill will make the crisis worse by: raising rents (through Pay to Stay tax
and pushing more into private renting), ending secure tenancies, loss of council
and housing association homes for rent, reducing Traveller  sites, subsidised
‘starter’ homes for sale replacing really-affordable homes for rent, planning
changes to speed up loss of public land and reduce obligations on developers to
provide genuinely affordable homes, and failure to control rents or improve
security for private renters.


We call for determined and continued opposition in and outside Parliament to
stop this Bill.  


Please see our *evidence to Lords here*
<http://www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch/resources/KtHBLordsevidence20216.pdf>
 and our Briefing on the Housing Bill here:
 <http://killthehousingbill.wordpress.com/>.  


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