TORY BILL TO DOUBLE

ONE OF the greatest gains made by millions of workers since 1945 has been the vast improvement in housing conditions brought about by the expansion of local authority building.

Two things have resulted: First, by 1971 over million workers and their families lived in council houses or flats. Eviction was no longer at the whim of the private landlord seeking maximum returns on his property. In that sense, a certain security gained with the knowledgé of at least a roof over your head for most of your life. Secondly, the rents were subsidized government grants. to offset huge interest and capty the main the subsidies went tal repayments financiers. In this way tenants were shielded from the forces of market rents.

It is true that rents have risen quite sharply over the past ten years. Nevertheless, on the whole, rents were still below what workers would have to pay elsewhere for similar private landlord accommodation.

Now the Tories are poised to deliver severe blow to this estabiished right to decent housing conditions at a reasonable not only to council tenants but to 1.3 million living under private landlords. Their weapon: the Housing Finance Bill. Their aim: massive rent increases for one third of the population; the introduction of the means test into millions of homes for the first time; the destruction of existing democratic rights and the opportunity for the private landlord to make more money.

Showing their usual contempt for parliament, the Tories have imposed a strict timetable for discussion of the Bill. On March despite Labour protests, they imposed a guillotine on the committee stage which must end by March 29—the Easter recesseven if discussion is incomplete. On the same day Tory Prime Minister Edward Heath snubbed Labour MPs, led by Anthony Crosland, shadow housing spokesman, when he refused to meet them to discuss postponing or withdrawing the Bill.

It would useful he not serve acrosland. purpose told Putting housing finance permanently less inflationary basis is a progressive and long overdue reform. It is also an act of justice, Heath added. The Tories, therefore, are pressing on with the measure and no amount of protests will stop them. The key to their attack is contained in the seemingly innocuous phrase 'fair rents'. No fools, the Tories have chosen one of the favourite expressions of all that is supposed to be decent and honourable in British capitalism: awell Trade unionists remember 'Fair Deal at Work'. P968s hed embodied all he prin Party in posals which went Industrial Relations Act three later. This 'fair rents' Bill is nothing more than an attempt to tear the heart out of working-class housing and drive millions on to the streets to become prey for the private landlords. The definition of the basis for assessing 'fair rents' makes clear Tory intentions. 'Regard must be had •.to the age, character and locality of the dwelling and to its state of repair, but it must be assumed that there is no scarcity, reads The essence of Tory plans, however, is only revealed in the last few words of the definition:

La 'fair rent' of a must be given to 'the return that it would be reasonable to expect on it as an investment and the fact that it belongs to a public body must disregarded. (My emphasis.)

could be for the property in open market, restrictions enough, the a most manner. The will draw up list of fair for all its rent officer.

oRies as there be me notification. make representation, to be in writing only.

tees which protagonists as estate This can examine some the dwellings. Any from the can be appeal from their decision.

Local authorities will have no choice in these proposals. 49 makes it to charge a fair rent government statements to the document which fell the hands of The Environment, the estimates in based its igures on evidence established for dwellings was then corresand dwelling the table, rents in every The Tories to As the vast this tenants will have to pay on the Rent will then be imposed year year until will pay an £500m Compare this the present housing of £200m and For there next period. Bill provides for the half this amount.

Local refusing to power government-appointed Housing Commissioner.

obstructs the his work can be fined £400. The end to housing. up the exploitation of the working and vestiges of swept aside.

Tenants landlords will not this Bill if it goes through.

tenancies will find decontrol beginning next January. Then they too Finally, the impose test on every enant in discussed in Workers Press.

to add hat the accasement will he mad on gross earnings.

And it doesn't have to be the tenant who is necessarily the subject of investigation. If, for example, there is a son in the household earning more than his father, then he will become the 'tenant' for the purposes of the means test.

In this way the rebat could be slashed as the son's 'needs allowance' would be less than his parents.

If there is a change of income in any six-month period, the whole process of applying , for a rebate will have to be gone through again.

Thousands of tenants in every part of the country have begun to fight back against the Bill. They know that if it goes through they will effectively suffer a cut in wages as rents go up.

They rightly feel that the security gained since the war will be eroded and that many will be forced to leave their homes or flats and search for accommodation elsewhere. As the imposition the guillotine on the committee stage and Heath's speech show, the Tories will not be moved by this anger.

Tenants are involved in a bitter struggle to defend their basic rights against a Tory government determined to drive down the living standar Is of the working class.

These rights can only be defended in an all-out fight to force the Tories to resign. Tenants must therefore resist all attempts to turn the 'fair rents' Bill into a purely housing question.

A unity must be forged with all these millions of workers in the trade unions prepar 1g to do battle with this govern ent.

This is what the Depa council rents will be by London South-East East Anglia West Midlands South-West East Midland• Yorks & Humbers North £7.45 £6.49 £5.72 £5.72 £5.53 £5.14 £4.66 £4.56 £4.38 £4.18 With the defeat of the Tories, a Labour government must be returned pledged to repeal the Bill if it becomes law and further to nationalize without compensation and under workers' control the land, the building and buildmaterials industry and building societies. Only on this basis can the right to decent housing be defended and extended. ironment estimates that averagel Now plus rates (E3.50) (£3.13) £2.16) £2.43) (£2.43) (£2.02) (£2.23) (£2.02) (E2.08) (£2.39) Frank McKenzie is the 27-yearold chairman of the Wendling Tenants' Association, Chalk Farm, in N London. It has about 300 members. The association is federated with two nearby estates to give it a total overall membership of nearly 1,000 tenants.

Frank lives in one of the new maisonettes on the estate with his wife and two children, one of 15 months and the other 12years-old.

I'm already paying £41.50 a month, including central heating, for this flat,' he told me when I spoke to him about the 'fair rents' Bill.

"With this Bill there'll be a £4 monthly increase from October. But there is a quick catch to this because the rates will go up as well, probably by another £z. Next year the rent will go up again. 'You can't class it as fair when you've passed beyond your means to live now. Electricity and gas are going up and so are prices. 'For what I pay in rent now I could buy my own place. But I'd never be able to find the deposit for a mortgage. 'You just don't go back to the 1930s if the Bill goes through. People will ask why they should work hours and hours just to pay the council one-quarter of their earnings in rent. "This is the 20th century. I never dreamt they'd operate a means test in this country. And don't forget it will be assessed on gross earnings. 'When you walk round Wendling and see people watching TV with the lights off because they can't afford both, how can you ask them to pay more?' asked Frank. "The most worrying part for any tenants' association is what happens to those who can't afford the new rents. Will they be turfed out on to the streets?' I asked Frank, who works for Camden council and who is a member of the National Union of Public Employees, how he thought the Tory plans could be halted.

Do you have to go to a General Strike or do you carry on life working for hours just to pay the rent?

I think it's up to the TUC. They represent millions of workers and yet they won't say a thing about the "fair rents" Bill. "They're in a position to give a lead, you shouldn't have to push them. But they were no help to the postmen or the miners. "We have to have a bit of action out of the TUC instead of running a circus. If they are gutless and won't act, they should get out and give younger men a chance to fight. "This generation today won't sit back and accept everything. If the rent goes up £4 we'll have to ask for more wages. How else can you pay the rent? 'A man now has to fight to live. And if the working class has to fight to look after their children's future, then he'll fight like mad. Let's have a General Election-—it's as simple as that. "This will probably be the last Tory government you will ever see, said Frank.

Monday