Fundamental right

Laura Pidcock, a Unite delegate from Blyth Valley, today (Monday 26 September) addressed the National Policy Forum report on housing.

“Conference, every single person should have a home as a fundamental right,” she said.

A right that has been left too much in the hands of the private market.

“It’s a market that has been relaxed leaving people in insecure tenancies and squalid conditions. Twenty first century slum landlords have been allowed to ignore tenant’s pleas to remove mould and damp,” said Laura.

The housing crisis has escalated under the Tories with the hope of ever being able to own a home snatched away from so many now left at the hands of rip-off landlords.

“They pack as many people as possible into properties to make sure their profits are large,” said Laura.

“Good quality housing for our communities should be a right. Not a commodity bought and sold in the international monopoly game of property portfolios,” she added.

As a movement we must stand firm in repeating that immigrants are not to blame for the housing crisis.

“It isn’t the Syrian refugee who prevents people from having a house. It is a government that does not care and has failed,” said Laura.

Following the mass sell-off of council housing stock under Thatcher there has been decades of councils not building council homes. This has led to a critical shortage and because of government cuts the housing stock that we do have, we are not able to maintain.

“This government does not care about people who live in council homes,” said Laura.

“Fences not fixed, tenants waiting months for basic repairs to be done. These people pay their rent and they deserve their home to be of an excellent standard,” she added.

Unite has been campaigning for a mass programme of Council house building, creating not only hundreds of thousands of homes but thousands of jobs in the process.

If investment is directed through local councils there must be public procurement to ensure those jobs are good jobs, with proper employment rights and guarantee that the scandalous practice of blacklisting is consigned to history.

“We welcome that the NPF report says that building homes including more council homes will be a priority,” said Laura.

“Unite is looking forward to being fully involved in this consultation,” she added.

To view Laura’s speech please click here