Campaigning in Haringey for Housing Rights for All

Posted: April 19, 2023

How do we support everyone’s right to a decent affordable home, local campaigns by tenants and residents, and group like Haringey Defend Council Housing, Haringey Housing Action and Haringey Renters Union?

This is a report of a meeting held by Haringey Solidarity Group on 7th March in the All Good Bookshop, Turnpike Lane. Around a dozen activists attended and there were presentations from the Haringey branch of the London Renters Union, and Haringey Defend Council Housing, plus contributions from others experienced in other local campaigning around housing..

    1. Those present live in a variety of types of housing, including Council housing, HMO, private renting, mortgage (big and small), housing co-op
    2. London Renters’ Union (LRU)
  2. Haringey Branch is in formative stages. It is formed on a membership model like any other union.
  3. Renters’ campaign last year regarding licenses for landlords, repairs in flats, no borders for housing.
  • The issue of disrepair is common across rental sectors.
  1. LRU build membership via door knocking and stalls.
  2. 1000 members in Haringey, 7000 across London.
  3. Casework is done on the basis of solidarity and mutual aid. Members are involved actively in the resolution of their issues.
  • LRU provides training in topics such as building power, information dissemination.
    1. Haringey Defend Council Housing (HDCH)
  1. DCH is a national organisation that has been around for 25 years. Began around ballots to sell off Council housing to housing associations.
  2. Led successful campaigns on issues including rents and service charges, funding of council housing and against demolitions.
  • Recent Love Lane campaign – ballot was lost but ballot rigging has been documented.
    1. The council is considering using modular housing and shipping containers to house people experiencing homelessness.
    2. StART
  1. In 2015 St Ann’s hospital began the process to sell two thirds of the site to a private developer.
  2. StART got Greater London Authority (GLA) to buy the land and wanted GLA to sell the land to a community group to build social housing.
  • The agreement reached was for 60% of housing to be ‘affordable’ and 170 homes could be bought by the council.
  1. StARTran out of steam and then voted to dissolve. No-one is now pushing the council to buy those homes.
  2. There are potentially 170 homes that could be bought by the council, plus 56 homes that could be community-led.
  3. Tony is working with a black-led Housing Cooperative to control those 56 homes.
  • Also other housing co-ops could be involved.
    1. Radical Housing Network (across London) – no longer active although the mailing list is still in use.
    2. Haringey Housing Action Group (HHAG) – now online only meetings. Focussing on casework on a mutual aid basis. Formerly also engaged in direct action, e.g supporting the HSG Green Lanes protest occupying offices of estate agents.
    3. Haringey Federation of Residents’ Associations. Around 30-40 assocs are based on Council and social housing estates – and around 60 assocs are street or neighbourhood based. HFRA was a formerly very active network but now just ticking over. Some local Res Assocs are very active and take up housing issues.
    4. There is scope for more collaboration between campaigns for private renters and council tenants.
    5. Potential campaign: Reviving the London Radical Housing Network or creating a new network across all housing issues.
    6. Haringey Community Action Network is promoting links between Trade Unions and community groups.
    7. The council doesn’t care about HMOs, including health and safety standards, although they have introduced licenses – these need enforcing.
    8. More older people are living in HMOs than ever before.
    9. The council should be on tenants side against landlords, but isn’t.
    10. LRU (Haringey) is making links with other groups.
    11. Renters’ Reform Coalition is a national group that LRU is part of, currently focussing on campaigning for a rent freeze and renters reform bill.
    12. Haringey was supposed to build 20000 houses/flats in 10 years.
  1. Not much social housing is being built, we could be pushing for this.
    1. The situation for private renters is getting worse, e.g. closed bids, no-fault evictions
    2. 10-15 groups in Haringey doing something to do with housing. Can we get all the groups together to share info.
    3. Suggestion (agreed by Nads and Paul)): draft a charter about aims for housing and share with other groups – or some other collaboration.
  2. Starting with LRU and HDCH getting together. LRU and HDCH can discuss and send an update to HCAN.
  3. A charter might motivate groups to get involved.
  • Or at least a commitment to liaise, maybe meet every 6 months, or hold a conference…
    1. Our Tottenham Network.
  1. Approx 10 years ago HSG called a meeting about regeneration in Tottenham. Attended by 40 people. This kicked off a very active network, 4 conferences and support for various (often successful) local campaigns including Wards Corner, Selby site, St Ann’s and Love Lane. OT still going but not so active at the moment.
    1. Renters’ reform bill: looking to improve private renting. The current situation is unsustainable.

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