• DURING 2016 campaigners fought really hard against the Housing Act.

Because of this campaign, the “Pay to Stay” policy of charging a tenant tax of 15 per cent on all gross household income above £40,000 is not going to be imposed by the government, but this is still on the statute books and is law.

The Housing and Planning Act allows regeneration leading to gentrification on council estates, as these are known as brownfield sites under the act. This has already been done in many parts of London, but it will be much worse under the act.

Lifetime tenancies are coming to an end, with maximum agreements up to five years. If you are an existing tenant you will be able to maintain your lifetime tenancy, but this is not a rock-solid agreement.

If you transfer/exchange home you will go on the new five-year tenancy. Every five years your agreements could be totally different and the rent much higher.

The government view is that fair rents for social tenants should be set at 80 per cent of market rents. If this had not been challenged social tenants would be paying it.

It’s time all social tenants realised they are actually vulnerable to this act, which was passed with the intention of destroying genuine social housing, to be replaced by more profitable private housing.

Social tenants should join in the campaign to protect social housing or there will be none left in the not-too-distant future.

It’s also important to unite with campaigns for genuinely affordable rents and lifetime tenancies in the private sector. In 2016, housing campaigns got bigger. Let’s make 2017 even better. Let’s show we are not going away.

MARK STILL
Address supplied