The canvass session was organised by Royal Docks branch secretary, Cllr Genevieve Kitchen, and we went around the Newham side of the Thames Barrier area. The theme of the canvass was about the "Tory Housing Crisis". This area compromises of newly built expensive apartment blocks with some town house terraces, many of which are privately rented.
The canvass was successful even though it is notoriously difficult to get into many of these new developments to knock on doors or leaflet due to entry phones entrances.
I spoke to tenants who privately rent, who said despite earning good money in London the rent they pay just makes it impossible to live a decent life and they were considering leaving London.
However, most people we managed to speak to supported Labour, even though there was one door slammed shut in the face of a canvasser, since the resident believed we are now a "racist party". Not good.
Mindbogglingly high rents and unaffordable property price rises could make this an unlikely Labour stronghold if we get our National housing policy right (which I think we have).
