Renters’ Hustings – London Election 2016
More than a hundred people came to the Renters’ Hustings on Tuesday to hear candidates from five parties tell us what they’ll do for private renters if they’re elected as London Mayor or Assembly Member – a lively discussion chaired brilliantly by Buzzfeed’s Jim Waterson. All five candidates (Sian Berry: Green, Tom Copley: Labour, Joy Morrissey: Conservative, Zack Polanski: Lib Dem and David Kurten: UKIP) said they are private renters themselves, so perhaps they know how, er, ‚Äòspecial’ it is trying to survive as a private renter in this city.
Exodus from London accelerates
The London housing crisis is taking its toll on families in the capital as they move to other parts of the UK in ever greater numbers. The net number of thirtysomethings and under-10s leaving the city has increased by 25% between 2012 and 2014 according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
We have always seen more people in these age brackets move away from London than move there, but the difference is getting bigger. In the same two-year period, rents and house prices rose three times as fast in London as the rest of Britain.
The first mayoral manifesto and other updates
We have just updated the Vote Homes policy grid with Sadiq Khan’s offering in his manifesto, which was published on 9 March. Also updated are a number of recently announced policies from Caroline Pidgeon.
London is a ‘mare for renters
LONDON NEEDS A MAYOR FOR RENTERS
Today, with 100 days to the London Mayoral election, we have launched www.votehomes2016.com, as the place to go if you want to know who is promising what to fix the city’s housing crisis.
A huge boost for our campaign
We’re at the halfway stage of our campaign and although we have reached our minimum thanks to the generosity of our supporters we still have a long way to go to reach our £60,000 target.
However, we can announce today that Generation Rent has been awarded a grant from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd. The grant of £45,500 will support our campaign for rent controls ahead of the GLA elections in 2016.
The Trust exists to correct imbalances of power and strengthen the hand of organisations striving for reform. As the grant is intended for this particular campaign, it does not count towards our wider crowdfunding effort. It is nevertheless a huge boost to our organisation.
Every pound we receive takes us a step closer to a private rented sector that works for everyone. Please donate today.
Is life outside the capital the answer for London’s renters?
Another year, another inflation-busting rent rise. Many of London’s workers would be forgiven for wondering whether it wouldn’t make sense just to up sticks and join the commuters vaulting the green belt every morning. Well wonder no more.
We looked at whether it is cheaper to rent outside of London and commute in by train every day, or if the capital is still worth it. The answer is the latter – just about.
We need all London MPs to back renters
Generation Rent is calling on London’s 73 MPs to support reforms to improve the lives of the capital’s renters. Analysis of the election results shows that 34 of them could be voted out by renters in five years’ time.
Please ask yours to meet with us.
By the next General Election in 2020, there will be enough floating voters who rent to overturn the parliamentary majority in 34 London constituencies, currently held by 13 Conservatives, 20 Labour MPs and 1 Liberal Democrat.
East Village tenants face Olympic rent rises
Over the last 18 months renters and shared owners have been enticed to live in the East Village with the promise of being part of a new, exciting community. But for almost 400 households in “80% of market rate” intermediate rent, that dream is turning sour.