"Brown suffers big backbench revolt over council house repairs"

(The Guardian, 1st April 2008) "Gordon Brown suffered one of the biggest backbench revolts since becoming prime minister last night as 28 Labour rebels backed an amendment to a housing bill calling for more resources for council house building and repair." Read the amendments (Subsidy arrangements: formula and exclusions; Level playing field on funding; Consultation principles and Code of Practice; Means testing and mixed communities). See also the transcript of the debate in Parliament; how MPs voted on NC1 (fair and balanced ballots) and NC8 (HRA funding amendment), Third Reading Briefing and campaign report from the Council Housing group of MPs. Help push the Minister to table amendments in the House of Lords as he promised to provide a new code of practice on fair debates and democratic ballots; and also to agree principles for ring fencing income and a level playing field for council housing to provide the 'Fourth Option' ahead of the review of the HRA subsidy system.

What does it mean - what next? Getting 52 MPs to sponsor our four amendments and taking approx 75% of the four and a half hours debate for discussion around HRA subsidy and a code of practice for ballots (NC1 and NC8) shows that the campaign is making an impact. But the crucial problem is that only 30 Labour MPs were prepared to oppose the government in the vote so our amendments were easily defeated. Housing Minister Iain Wright did promise that he would bring forward government amendments in the Lords to address demands for a clear Code of Practice for ballots and to ensure that tenants are not just on transfer but also a major change in the management of our homes. Prior to the debate he agreed to look at requiring councils to keep to a pre-determined ballot timetable, provide resources for both sides of the debate, ensure equal access to facilities and information and look at extending the 28 timetable for appealing against a ballot result. The government's argued it would be premature to agree major changes on housing finance in advance of its HRA review. Leaving aside what the outcome of the review might be (and whether the government in power implements the recommendations) this leaves many councils facing serious financial pressures and uncertainty in the medium term. The campaign will continue to step up the pressure to win an early settlement that secures the future for first class council housing.

200 attend inquiry at Parliament to back amendments

The House of Commons Council Housing group of MPs organised an inquiry event at Parliament on 22 January 2008 to collect evidence to support amendments to the government's Housing and Regeneration Bill. Tenants, trade unionists, councillors and council officers took part, More than 30 areas were represented with 20 giving oral evidence to MPs.

Oral and written evidence has provided more depth reinforces the case for councils improving their existing homes and estates, starting a new council house building programme and ensuring that all homes are maintained as first class council housing in years to come. Read draft transcript and main points of evidence (draft). The submissions also included objections to government means testing council housing and the demand that any consultation with tenants has to be based on a fair and balanced debate and conducted according to strict democratic procedures.

The following areas were represented: Birmingham, Bolsover, Cambridge, Camden, Cannock Chase, Chesterfield, Crawley, Dagenham, Gravesham, Hackney, Harlow, Haringey, Islington, Lambeth, Leeds, Lincoln, Manchester, Milton Keynes, NW Leicestershire, Salisbury, Sedgefield, Sheffield, Southampton, Southwark, St Albans, Stroud, Sunderland, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Waverley, Winchester with national unions UNISON and Unite and think tank APSE.

Dear Supporter,	(2 December 2007)
Government has introduced a new Housing and Regeneration Bill. This provides an opportunity to secure changes to the local authority housing finance regime to enable councils to improve all existing, build new and maintain all council housing as first class housing for years to come.
It also provides opportunities for those opposed to a first class council (public) housing sector who seek to means test 'low cost rented housing', give predatory landlords opportunities to buy council estates, transfer key decisions from Ministers to new quangos and break up the national HRA - without putting in place guarantees for all councils (see Council Housing Group DCH 'Second Reading' Briefing).
Your support is needed to make sure we get the right result!
The House of Commons Council Housing group is holding a new inquiry to collect evidence to support amendments to the Bill. The group asks organisations to send in written evidence and apply for a timeslot on January 22 to provide oral evidence and answer questions.
We also want tenants, trade unionists and councillors to lobby their constituency MPs on the day and show government Ministers the breadth and depth of support for investment in council housing. Email your MP now and ask him/her to sign the new Early Day Motion 368 Investment in Council Housing.
The new Defend Council Housing newspaper advertises the event, describes key parts of the Bill and the changes we plan to introduce as amendments.
Time is obviously short. Government wants to rush this Bill through early in the new year. Please make plans before Christmas to provide evidence and bring a delegation down to Parliament on January 22. Contact tenants organisations, trade unions and your local council and ask them to 'empower' tenants by sponsoring a broad based delegation to take part (use this letter to supporters and model motion).
Alan Walter chair, Defend Council Housing	Austin Mitchell chair, House of Commons Council Housing group

What the Bill includes...

Opens door to means testing

Discriminate against councils building new homes while offering public money to profit-making companies with little protection for either tenants or taxpayers

Transfer key responsibilities from elected Ministers and government departments to an unaccountable regulator

Give the regulator powers to determine criteria for allocating accommodation, terms of tenancies and levels of rent

Break up the national Housing Revenue Account without long-term guarantees for funding council housing

Enable predatory landlords (similar to 'Tenants Choice' under HATs in 1988) to 'persuade' tenants to ballot to transfer their homes and estates.

Get your MP to back these changes

Means-testing, profit and deregulation Prevent stigmatisation and maintain universal access by removing the means test eligibility element to 'low cost rented housing'. Delete clauses which exempt profit-making companies from the various regulatory protections for tenants and taxpayers. Keep key political decisions such as allocating accommodation, terms of tenancies and levels of rent with elected politicians. Require that tenants receive financial support for genuinely independent tenants organisation for the purposes of holding their landlord to account, and improving their housing services, conditions and amenities (section 86(4)).

Funding Existing Council Housing Require that local authorities retain all rental income and capital receipts from council housing to be specifically used to manage, maintain, improve existing or build new council homes. Any surplus to be pooled centrally to be redistributed to authorities bidding for extra funding. Require the Secretary of State to fund local authority housing Management & Maintenance Allowances at 100% of need (as defined by the Building Research Establishment, Estimation of the need to spend on maintenance and management in the Local Authority housing stock, June 2003). Require the Treasury to take over historic debt where tenants have expressed a clear choice to remain with the council to provide a 'level playing field' with debt write-off when homes are privatised by stock transfer. Require that councils considering opting out of the national HRA are able to demonstrate that their HRA balance sheet is positive over the 30 years business plan.

Building New Council Housing Prevent discrimination against local authorities by ensuring that receipt of Social Housing Grant is not conditional on setting up arms-length companies. Ensure that all new homes - including those built by ALMOs and SPVs - give tenants 'secure' tenancies.

Homes & Communities Agency Require that full consultation takes place with tenants when allocating Decent Homes funding and that tenants' choice to remain with the council is respected and retaining authorities are not discriminated against financially.

Democracy: A Fair and balanced debate Require that the principles of a fair and balanced debate as defined by the House of Commons Council Housing Group are applied when landlords consult their tenants. This should include resources to ensure that both sides of the argument are clearly put with a ballot of every tenant at the end of the consultation run to a pre-defined timescale with clear start and end dates.

Produce evidence to submit to the inquiry...

The MPs are calling on supporters of council housing to submit formal written evidence and to apply to provide oral evidence and answer questions at Parliament on January 22. Encourage your council to use its expertise to help provide evidence and ask them to fund a delegation to attend the event. All councils say they want to 'empower' tenants - here's a real opportunity!. Issues to address include:

Changes to the present HRA subsidy system (locally and nationally) to enable authorities to improve existing, build new and maintain all council housing as first class housing for years to come

Financial modelling by local authorities showing the benefit/loss to their HRA from breaking up the national HRA on financially neutral terms; retaining all rental income and capital receipts; debt write-off on equal terms available on transfer; increasing M&M to 100% of need

Means-testing and its effect on sustainable communities - particularly welcome will be statistical information from local authorities on historic and current demographic analysis of council tenants and those on waiting list, the effect on allocations policy from reduction in supply, and estimates of what level of new council housing provision would make communities mixed and sustainable again.

Proposed 'Tenants Choice' ballots

OFTENANT and its possible application to council housing (consultation, tenant empowerment, policy-making such as rent levels, and accountability).

Providing Social Housing grant) to profit-making landlords and local reaction to withholding SHG from councils retaining the direct management of their homes; the effect this is likely to have on security, affordability and value for money for the taxpayer.

Actual affordability of 'affordable' housing (including rented and shared ownership schemes) available locally showing who has access and who is excluded

Demand for council housing locally

DCH has rushed out a briefing - including areas for MPs to table amendments to the Bill. We understand the Committee considering the bill will take evidence before Christmas and the bill will then be debated again in January. Help us break through the soundbites and remind those who mouthed 'warm words' for council housing over the summer of the commitment they made to provide the 'Fourth Option' for council housing. Contact your MP and ask him/her to read this briefing, sign the new Early Day Motion and speak in the debate supporting our arguments.

If your council has retained its homes, has an ALMO or has yet to consult tenants on the future of council housing find out what the latest position is and give tenants support to join this campaign.