UNISON National Labour Link Forum 2011: The Death & Rebirth of Public Housing

Yesterday at UNISON National Labour Link Forum    motion 11 "The Death & Rebirth of Public Housing" was passed.  This was similar to motion 54 that just failed to be reach the NDC agenda. This was my speech moving the motion (as amended).  Good result for Labour Housing Group.

"Chair, Forum, John Gray, Greater London Region moving motion 11. “The Death and Rebirth of Public Housing”.

Forum, I want to describe how this Tory led Government is intent on the destruction of public housing in this country and how we need instead to argue for its Rebirth. 

Firstly Forum, our Regional delegation accepts and supports all the helpful amendments. 

Forum, I don’t think many of you will be surprised at the content of this motion.  

It condemns the cuts in Housing benefit which attacks not only the unemployed, the elderly and disabled - but also the working poor.  

It points out that our members who provide front line housing services are horrified at being expected to deal with the resulting class cleansing of the poor from richer middle class areas.

It condemns this government for decimating new investment in public housing while millions have to endure overcrowding and substandard living conditions while languishing on never ending council waiting lists.

That new tenants and the homeless could lose the right to secure and permanent accommodation. While those who wait for years for a tenancy may find themselves paying near market rent for two years - after which they could find themselves evicted if they find a good job.  

In London currently the average rent for a 2 bed HA property is £102 per week. A so-called Tory affordable rent set at 80% of the market would be a staggering £2-4-8 per week. Every week!  

Forum, this motion does not only condemn the actions of this Tory led Government. It also agrees with what many of you have been saying in previous motions about how this attack on public services is ideologically motivated. This government has an ideological hatred of all collective provision and is therefore trying to kill off public housing.

To counter this attack we not only have to protest and campaign but we have counter the underlying neo-liberal and Orange book ideology. There is a Battle of Ideas in housing, that at this moment, progressives have not been winning. We need to win this Battle.  

UNISON Labour link and our members in the Labour Party need to play their part as well in the very same Battle within the Party to reclaim it as the Party of Public housing.

Forum, the only immediate way to begin to deal with our housing crisis is to reintroduce rent controls, to bring down rents in both the public and private sector to affordable levels. 

Next, such is the scale of the problem that there desperately needs to be a massive house building programme to house the 4.5million waiting for homes. Which will have the added benefits of getting the unemployed into work, giving them wages to support the local economy and paying tax rather than claiming the dole. We need to champion and explain these arguments. 

Let us look into the replacement of council tax with a continental style Land tax and let us debate such ideas as community land trusts. We need convincing arguments to persuade the public and indeed many of our own members that we should reverse the unhealthy British obsession with home ownership and disdain for renting. 

Forum, one important way of winning this battle of ideas is for UNISON Labour Link to affiliate to the Labour Housing Group, both nationally and regionally. UNISON is of course is the biggest union in public housing by far. So it is proper that we play a full part in the Labour Party Socialist Society for Housing. In London recently a regional branch of the LHG has been set up and has held successful events bringing together UNISON levy payers, Labour Party members, Cllrs, tenants, residents, practitioners and academics in a campaigning and policy alliance.  

Finally conference, let us always remember what will unite all of us. Decent housing is a basic and fundamental human right. We don’t believe that public housing is the “tenure of the last resort” nor the Tory libel that they are “barracks of the poor”.

Let us work for and call for victory in this Battle of Ideas with the Right - and for the next Labour government to give birth to a renaissance of public housing.  

Good quality homes, affordable, accountable and secure. And most importantly of all Forum, make sure this time, we build enough of them.

Forum, I move".

UNISON Labour Link National Forum:Day 2

Second day of Forum held this year at the Liverpool Marriot hotel. “A good time was had by all” the previous night at the traditional Labour Link Social.  For some reason a number of delegates were a little quiet and subdued.  Forum kicked off with more motions on future Labour Link policy and campaign priorities.  Yesterday we had debated and passed motions on The Economy; Spending cuts and the Black Community; ConDem attacks on public service workers; campaign for a Living Wage and a Robin Hood tax.  This morning we started with “Don’t CON-DEM young people; Pensions and Local Government Funding.

Next was the Labour Link Annual Report presented by Forum Chair, Steve Warwick.  Steve thought that Ed Miliband had a fantastic week around the News of the World scandal but when he goes knocking on doors canvassing for the Party people ask what Labour would do differently?  Labour has to be an opposition not just an alternative government in waiting. A party embedded in communities, leading the campaign and protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

Cllr Roz Gladden, the deputy leader of Liverpool City Council was this morning’s keynote speaker.  Roz started by praising the trade union link with the Party, proudly proclaiming that it would not be worth supporting the Party without the link.  She always remembers that she was a trade unionist before she became a Party member.  Labour won back control of the Council because the people of Liverpool had began to trust Labour again.  Never again should we indulge in gesture politics that merely feed our ego. 

After a break we continued with more motions on Housing (which I moved); the role of retired members in Labour Link; Building our own Coalition against the Cuts; Turning out the Labour vote at elections; defending the NHS; Education cuts; strike ballots and Families against Corporate Killers.  Forum finished at 12.30 with formal thanks to the Labour Link staff for organising Forum and to the Hotel staff for looking after us so well.         

Picture of London delegation including Rae Voller who is standing down as National Vice Chair.

UPDATE: Check out Ian Wooler World account of Forum here

UNISON Labour Link National Forum: Day 1

The UNISON Labour Link (APF) National Forum started today in Liverpool.  This is the annual meeting of the UNISON affiliated political fund.  UNISON members have a choice whether to pay a voluntary levy to the Labour Party or to a non-aligned General fund (or none).  Elected union lay representatives from all over the UK met to debate policies and campaigns, take part in workshops and meet Councillors, MPs and MEPs.  The first speaker welcoming us was newly elected Labour Liverpool Councillor Jake Morrison, who is a UNISON member and local hospital steward.  Jake is 18 and in May this year he was the youngest ever Liverpool Councillor defeating a former Liberal Council leader.

The keynote speaker was Ed Balls MP, the shadow chancellor.  Ed received a fairly tough reception due to his remarks and that of the Labour Leader, Ed Miliband, about the recent pension strike.  His argument that he was trying to stop the Tories blaming the unions for the poor performance of the economy was not accepted by the meeting.  Ed did argue passionately that he wanted a real partnership with the trade unions and the Labour Party based on our “shared commitment to social justice, equality and fairness”.

Next was UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis who reminded the forum that the former Labour Leadership were wrong to introduce the profit motive into the NHS and public services while at the same time not regulating the Banks.  Labour lost 5 million supporters between 1997 and 2010.  Most of them are “our people”.  Labour has to offer an alternative economic policy that will attract back these voters and it is the job of Labour Link to argue and campaign within the Party to help bring this about.

After lunch there was a series of workshops available on “influencing elected reps”; “campaigning with councillors and members” and “Refounding Labour”.  Followed by a meeting and Q&A with Arlene McCarthy MEP and Linda McAvan MEP.  The Tories and their right wing allies act even more appallingly in Europe than they do even here. Next was a serious and detailed debate over national issues with former UNISON official, Lillian Greenwood MP and Angela Eagle MP.  Amongst the topics discussed was Libya, trade union rights, arguments against the cuts and the book “The Spirit Level”. This was followed by more workshops before finishing at 5.30pm.