Labour Housing Group (London) AGM 10 Sept 2012

"The Annual Meeting of the London Labour Housing Group will take place on Monday 10 September 2012 at Portcullis House, London SW1 at 6.30pm.

The business to be transacted will include reports on activities so far, guest speakers, announcement of election of an Executive Committee for 2012-2013, and discussion of policy and campaign priorities.

If you wish to stand for the LLHG Committee - Nominate yourself NOW Membership of the Committee will be decided by postal ballot of members of Labour Housing Group living in the London area.

If you wish to stand for election, please nominate yourself by emailing the Secretary of LLHG, Jamie Carswell, at jamie.e.carswellATgmail.com including a 100 word (maximum) statement in support of your candidacy by Saturday 18 August at the latest. If required, a postal ballot will be held thereafter.

London LHG operates under the national rules of LHG and will have a Committee of 12 members. The Committee will in turn elect officers and will have the power to co-opt a small number of additional members.

If you wish to submit a resolution for consideration at the meeting, please keep it succinct and submit to Jamie Carswell by 18 August. Please note we will keep strictly to this deadline in order to conduct an election and turn papers round in time for the AGM. If you have any queries please contact me by email at steve@hilditchonline.com (or on 07961 414809 if you do not have email).

Regards Steve Hilditch Chair"

(Jon Cruddas MP, now Shadow Cabinet member for the Labour policy review, has agreed to speak as well as Karen Buck MP).

UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT AGM ONLY FOR LONDON LHG BRANCH MEMBERS!

Housing Voice Independent Inquiry: London & SE

On Thursday I made a verbal submission to this inquiry. Housing Voice is the "campaign alliance established to champion the need for more affordable homes to buy or rent". The inquiry is gathering evidence across the country on ways to combat the "affordable housing crisis". Lord Larry Whitty is chairing the inquiry (seen in centre of picture with panel members Steve Hilditch and Michael Ward).

Heidi Alexander MP for Lewisham East and on the CLG Select Committee (left) spoke as did UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis.  There were 18 speakers listed! "Housing Professionals Voices", "Voices of those at the sharp end"; "Labour Voices", "Local and Regional elected" and "Other voices".  There were politicians from across the political divide. Residents and a wide range of other people with interest in affordable housing took part and contributed.

There was disagreement about the solution but no-one denied that we have an appalling housing shortage and that homes are currently unaffordable especially in London. Access to land with permission to build, planning and finance seems to be major barriers. Solutions offered included housing co-operatives, deregulation (House Builders Federation) and greater regulation (of private sector including rent controls: not I think supported by the HBF), funding from pension funds.

I think the role of public funding is absolute key and while there is a lot that can be done to improve supply and affordability at the margin, without a significant funding in state funding we will not resolve the crisis. We will only get the funding when we can raise the political interest in housing to match that of education and health.

Labour London Assemby member Valerie Shawcross was the last speaker. In the Q&A some Housing Associations got a bit of a pasting from the politicians over their variable management standards, being so fragmented, inefficient, arrogant and unaccountable.  

I'll post my submission later.

London Labour Housing Group Committee

Last week there was the first Committee meeting of the London branch of the Labour Housing Group (LLHG) in Camden.  This was following our AGM last month.

I think the Branch is doing really well and to take the proverbial has gone from strength to strength. It has a great opportunity of making a real impact in London on progressive housing issues and campaigns.

Steve Hilditch was elected as Chair and Nicky Gavron as a Vice Chair. We now have specialist working groups on Campaigns and Communications; Finance & benefits; Private Rented; Planning & Targets; Older People; Labour Groups and Leasehold/Commonhold. Each committee to meet in person or virtually before the next full committee meeting. I volunteered to go on Campaigning (convened by Steve Cowan) and Private Rented work groups (convened by Jackie Peacock). 

London Labour Housing Group AGM

On Monday evening after TUC I went to the first annual general meeting of the London branch of the Labour Housing Group (LHG). The LHG is a Socialist society affiliated to the Labour Party concerned with Housing. The meeting took place in the House of Commons and was chaired by Steve Hilditch. The room was full.

Steve welcomed everyone. He reminded us that 300 people turned up to first open meeting of the London branch which shows how important housing is in the capital.

London Assembly member for Housing, Nicky Gavron introduced the LLHG report “Housing Policies for London”. Nicky spoke about the need to defeat the Tories and elect Ken. Boris is working hand in glove with the government and has given the green light to his Tory friends to get rid of social housing in London.

The guest speaker was John Cruddas MP. Jon was open about the failing of the Labour government over housing. It did a lot of good things but while he understood Labour policy over health and education he never did on housing. It is strange that housing is so important in MP surgeries but not a tension in Westminster itself. Housing did not even feature in Tony Blair’s first cabinet. There is some evidence that housing is moving up the agenda. He made an interesting point linking housing to the financial crisis due to the need to produce complicated financial products that resulted in sub-prime investments. He is thinking about affordable rent models that will also house families who would not be entitled to Council or housing association homes - with different levels of rent. The housing crisis does give opportunities to try new things.

Next was an opportunity for those present to make their contributions and share their experiences on Housing policy. Clive Efford MP turned up to listen as well. There was the usual grass roots Labour Party robust exchange of views. Many had passionate and very personal views on housing in London. My contribution was that we must firstly all work together to get rid of the Tories starting with Boris  before we can get anything done.

The meeting was I thought another successful milestone for the new branch. We now have a committee made up of tenants and leaseholders, Councillors, housing workers, academics and many other ordinary members of the Party who want to do something about housing. Putting the housing world to rights continued afterwards in the St Stephens Tavern.