An Islington mum says the Government’s Housing Bill will leave her unable to care for her disabled daughter, describing the legislation as an “attack on working people”.
The bill, scheduled to go before Parliament in April 2016, will force London council tenants earning more than £40,000 per household to pay market-rate rents.
But Emma and her partner earn just over the £40,000 threshold. Since her daughter was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition two years ago, she has had to reduce her hours, while her partner works seven days a week to self-fund vital medical equipment.
“That will have to stop if we have to pay market value rent for our two bedroom maisonette on Caledonian Road,” she told a public meeting in a packed Islington Town Hall. “We’re looking at about £600.”
The proposed bill was also described as“a heinous act” and “worse than the Poll Tax” by members of Islington Council during the 8 March meeting.
Residents voiced their concerns about the effect the bill would have on local residents, and made it clear they intended to fight it.
For new tenants, short-term lets of two to five years will also be enforced, ending fixed-term ‘tenancies for life’. Additionally, high-value council homes will be sold when current tenants leave.
Over 200 people packed the overcrowded Assembly Room to hear about the bill’s potential impact on Islington’s 26,000 council tenants.
Members of the audience also raised fears that the council isn’t doing enough to prevent the government passing the legislation.
One resident called out: “Stand up tonight and say to us: ‘whatever happens, we won’t implement it’.”
But councillor James Murray, executive member for housing and development, maintained that he “would not be forced into making promises [he] can’t keep”, much to the disappointment of disgruntled residents.
However, he promised that Islington Council would fight the legislation, saying: “Rather than disagree with each other, we need to [remember] that we are absolutely united in opposition to the government.”
However, both Cllr Murray and leader of Islington Council Richard Watts reminded the crowd that the Conservative government were responsible for the legislation. “We are all united in how evil this bill is,” Mr Watts said.
Islington South and Finsbury MP, Emily Thornberry attended to voice her concerns. She told Islington Now: “This Bill is the most blatant attempt by the Tories to attack social housing. It is about social cleansing. It is about pushing people out who have lived here for generations.
The meeting was held on International Women’s Day. The Shadow Defence Secretary said: “I’m celebrating it here, fighting for housing. If housing doesn’t matter to women, nothing matters to women!”
This artlice went ahead and made my day.
Hoi Maaike, Die curry is echt een toppertje. Wij hebben gesmuld.Invriezen lukte niet meer, want alles was schoon op. Karin.Van Karin Steiger op 06.10.12 11:21 am
O…M…G!!! I hope he films some more. I want to see him squeeze that one some more and the one by his belly button…phew…I need a smoke now!! What a great way to start my morning!!!Well-loved.
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I always try to tell my friends that sometimes, offering our kids too many options, is just a bad idea. Remember being a kid and just being allowed to ‘be’? Well, that often doesn’t happen in places like NYC because we’re so busy over-protecting and over-scheduling everything our kids do that we end up being just as stressed as they must be! Slowing down shouldn’t be such a ‘dirty’ idea! It should be celebrated, at least sometimes.
It’s a joke fine sir, a joke which consists in reversing the positions of two words in a sentence, for instance, if one? is black, and he watches a video that one finds offensive, he shall say, “I’m black and I find this offensive”. But! For the sake of comedy, the man shall say “I’m offensive and I find this black.”. . Have I been understood?
Great. Now, please, please, please fix the titles for the high score list or get rid of them altogether. I don’t really know why, but It really irks me that all of my characters are “the Adventurer”, especially when you already had so many titles implemented and how great they were and could be (for the new classes)
In case you do not knowI predicted Milna will win CL after 3-0 win [half time] against Liverpool —> Liverpool wonI predicted Cratia will win Turkey after scoring at 119th minutes…. —> Turkey wonI thought we will have on chance agianst Barca at Stamford bridge in 1999 —> Chlesea won 3-1I thought we will have no chance against Arsenal in Haighbury in CL in 2004 —->Chelsea won 2-1Reply
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