On Friday 24th January 2025, Sustainable Hackney hosted a screening and panel discussion of SOLD City to a sell-out audience at St Paul’s Church, West Hackney. Being one of the organisation’s most diverse audiences in recent memory showed that the scarcity of affordable, good-quality housing is an issue which is impacting people right across our communities.
The film SOLD CITY tells a story that is common to many cities across Europe, how the real estate boom coupled with sharply rising rents is pushing people out of the center of cities.
The film looks at Berlin where 82% people rent and it follows a successful campaign in Berlin of a popular initiative and campaign to “expropriate” housing owned by large private investors to the public owned "Deutsche Wohnen & Co". It showed Vienna and Singapore where the public sector can be a landlord to people on all levels of income and charge according to what they can pay.
We had a fantastic panel of housing experts: Dr Paul Watt - is visiting professor at London School of Economics, Sabine Mairey –who lives on Central Hill Estate and founder of Refurbish Don’t Demolish, Dr Charlie Berry - is policy manager on private rented sector at Shelter, Rosie Dutch is campaigns and partnership officer at Renters' Reform Coalition and Elyem Chej and Rod O’Donnell members of the London Renters Union
The panel started with each panelist outlining their professional and personal experience of the London housing landscape. Paul opened with the acknowledgement that council housing is key to make London an affordable city for everyone. London had 770,000 council homes as its peak during the 1980’s however, 40% of these were sold over time due to the Right To Buy scheme. He also spoke of regeneration projects of council estates in London he renames it “degeneration", the managed decline of housing stock prior to regeneration projects. He outlined how some of regeneration projects have led to net losses in social rented housing, 80% on the Heygate Estate, 45% on Hendon Waterside and 30% at Woodberry Down Estate.
Sabine followed by explaining that as soon as your local council decides your estate should be earmarked for demolition, if you are a homeowner, you have no choice but to sell your home back to the council as you are unable to get a mortgage. She added that the issue is not the shortage of housing - explaining the regeneration at the Aylesbury Estate has 700 empty homes - but spoke of the council’s willingness to maintain them.
Rosie welcomed the new introduction of housing legislation, The Renter’s Bill has passed its third reading in The House of Commons and is in “Report Stage “in the House of Lords, being reviewed. Some things are good in the bill it abolishes “no-fault” evictions, how it also now allows tenants to roll over their tenancies, however, she pointed out its failure to protect rent levels. She is disappointed in this and also said reading the small print “it is not an end to no fault evictions”.
Charlie added that there are, 100,000 families in temporary accommodation along with 160,000 children. This is the highest level ever recorded in the UK. Shelter’s ambition is to end the housing emergency for good and stated the government needs to build 90,000 council homes each year to achieve this.
Elyem explained the London Renter’s Union (LRU) provides a community that keeps each other safe. Theoretically, they welcome the legislation which brings an end to no-fault evictions; however, they explained that in reality the reasons for permitted eviction have increased, which they fear will be used against marginalised communities. Rod added that Direct Action is also an important part of the LRU’s work - taking action against landlords and councilors in a way so they can no longer be ignored.
There was a lively discussion with questions ranging from high service charges for leaseholders on council owned estates. Sabine advised that leaseholders should organise as far as possible with their neighbours, and that receipts should be obtained from the landlord. Another question asked can we learn from other countries such as Vienna and Singapore?
In wrapping up the evening all the panel made suggestions on what action we can take and what solutions there are to homes becoming increasingly becoming unaffordable and seen as financial assets.
Elyem said we need to be active in our communities to challenge the disempowerment of renters – she said “get involved, get engaged”, Rod said “if you want to radicalise start in London and learn from the past” such as rent strikes of 1930’s. Charlie said Shelter are committed to more social homes being created, Rosie said we need to campaign to empower renters , the Renter’s Bill rather than abolishing nor fault evictions it has created new grounds for eviction. Paul said we need a housing movement! Sabine made a plea “can we look after what we have particularly in the social market and stop knocking down social homes”. Sustainable Hackney thanked all our panelist for their excellent contributions.
Links:
Paul Watts publications:
Estate Regeneration and Its Discontents: Public Housing, Place and Inequality in London (Policy Press, 2021).
Contacts for Sabine Mairey
https://x.com @WhyDemolish @savecentralhill refurbishdontdemolish@gmail.com
Shelter
Renters Reform Coalition
London Renters Union
If you are interested in getting involved with Sustainable Hackney's work on housing, please join our Built Environment group.
Written by Barbara McFarlane and Chesca Walton.
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