THE TORIES' WAR ON COUNCIL HOUSING

dwelling which either lacks amenities like a bathroom or Millions of workers who an inside toilet or which is look hopefully towards actually unfit for human habi- working class. tation, to use the official being rehoused have had phrase.

behind the hated 'fair rents' their hopes smashed by Over 2.5 million dwellings Act-which aims to double are involved, most of them council rents-and the fact the Tory government. owned by private landlords. that last year fewer municipal The new White Paper, These conditions are to be dwellings were built than in cynically entitled 'Better found covering whole areas of Homes—the Next Priorities' the big cities. They have been declares war not on slum land- and remain a veritable breed- areas, the White Paper makes lords but on the idea of coun- ing-ground for Rachmanism it clear what is not going to cil housing. and harassment of all kinds.

take place:

The decaying, twilight areas It is not just the small landof Britain's major cities are lord who is involved here. In is no longer preferable to in fact to remain intact, apart many cases the freehold is attempt to soive the problems from a little tarting up. owned by a big company or arising from bad housing by Taking a leaf out of the developer.

schemes of widespread, comLabour leadership's book, the On no occasion in the past prehensive redevelopment, it Tories, led by ex-building_boss have these people ever atGeoffrey Rippon, plan to hand tempted to do anything with over huge sums of money to their properties other than on workers living in the worst the landlords and developers. collect the rent and harass housing. In a sentence, the Hailed as the new dawn by their tenants. way out through rehousing 1s The Tories fawning commentators in the blocked. As far as the Tories in parliament the landlord Tory Press, the White Paper are concerned, that basic who represent others, begin is no more than a reaffirma- right, established largely since class, among tion-if one was needed-that with a ruthless determination 1945, is to end. to destroy mun icipal housing. municipal housing is a nonIn this way, they hope to starter under this government. One family in six lives in a force business towards their Paper with a friends in the private sector, while at the same time driving down the conditions This is the philosophy lying any year since 1962.

On the twilight housing 'In the majority of cases, it This is a declaration of war The Tories try to justify this statement in declaration which carries the art of deception to new heights.

Local people, it declares, have 'an understandable preference for the familiar, and in many ways, more convenient environment in which they have lived for many years'. So Tory 'investigators' have found that workers living in the worst areas of Notting Hill do not want to be disturbed, least of all It reminds you newspaper picture where the first ten reporter can lay his are asked what they What the Tories that public housing mucn and workers to stick with what got.

Not surprisingly, therefore, the Tory White Paper actually proposes to give landlords bigger improvement grants.

And local councils are to be given the splendid opportunity of buying up newly-converted flats. Developers selling five flats in one house at £16,000 a flat do not mind who they sell to. What will happen in these cases is that the local ratepayers will provide his profit by paying the money for buying up the property.

And while the landlords and developers get on with the business of smashing old properties and turning them into rehoused! luxury flats, local councils will be obliged, under the proof those posals, to take in all the 'probes' tenants dispossessed, either Tories a hand on temporarily or permanently. think of So, the friends of the Tories get it all ways. From now on they won't even have to worry mean is about providing alternative costs too accommodation for former will have they have tenants.

Paul Channon, Minister of Housing and Construction, had this to say at the Press conference to launch the White Paper:

It doesn't seem such a bad deal for landlords. If I was a private landlord I'd be perfectly happy to stay one.' Say ha no more.

Friday 29, PAGE id left: Albert F amily Dwellin rivately • owned housing in Stepney, East London. The tenants protested at the appalling conditions ed by a landlord who has neve n seen o n the premises. Now the White Paper blocks any chance of rehousing. The Tories say people understandable preference for familiar, in many ways more convenient, environment in which they have lived for many Abor tain have 'an iS, l be