Return to Rachmanism

mean an increase of over 250 per cent.

That has been the experience under Labour's 1965 Rent Act which first introduced the concept of 'fair rent'. Rent assessment committees have looked favourably on landlords making applications under the Act.

In S Acton, in W London, tenants have formed an association which covers both council and private tenants.

I spoke to their chairman, Tom Oram, who works at BritishLeyland's Park Royal plant and is a Transport and General Workers' Union member.

'The aim of this Bill is simple. It is to get more money out of people's pockets for nothing. And what they forget to tell you about council houses is that rents have been soaring the last few years.' Mr Oram, who lives in a tower block on one of Ealing council's new estates, pointed to his rent books. In 1968 he was paying £3 135 2d. His rent now, including il recent rates increase, is $5.90.

The idea of the rent rebates are farcical. If you pay another £2 you might get fl back. According to the Bill, vou get a needs allowance of £13.50 for a married couple. How Is anyone supposed to live on that for a week? Poor families may be driven into council estate ghettos THE TORY 'fair rent' forced into ghettos on over of private accomm It is well known that many housing departments already allocate poor families their worst accommodation.

This is done because the family is thought to be 'unreliable' or would be unable to meet the rent of a newer dwelling.

The housing allocated is usually very old council housing, much of it prewar and in a poor state of repair, or old properties the council has bought up prior to demolition.

If the Tories are able to carry their Housing Finance Bill into effect, this situation will get worse. With doubled rents, poor families could only choose to live in such housing if they received large rent rebates.

But local authorities will save themselves money if they can put these families IMF debt clas A TOUGH stand by the US Treasury is making it difficult for Britain to repay a £320m debt to the International Monetary Fund.

Britain does not want to part with gold or paper gold (Special Drawing Rights) held as part of the currency reserves and other countries are reluctant to accept dollars.

Most countries would be prepared to see Britain pay one-third in actual and paper gold, one-third in dollars which the US would convert into currenproposals the worst odation to in their worst hoyses flats where the rents not so high.

Even if this was not the case, the poorest families would never be able to afford to live in the new blocks of flats.

One such block under construction in N London is likely to have a 'fair rent' of between £20 to £25 a week.

Taking into account the maximum rebate allowed under the Bill, the prospective tenant would still have to find £17 a week, exclusive of rates.

The 14 million private tenants living in rentcontrolled unfurnished premises will soon find themselves in a similar position to council tenants.

From next January decontrol begins and the "fair rent process is introduced. Under the Bill these cies acceptable to IMF.

The remaining third would be handled in the same way by the other rich countries.

The US Treasury wants Britain to provide two-thirds of the repayments in gold and SDRs. This is an effort to bolster the dollar and pass some of the strain on the international monetary system on to Britain.

A clash between the two countries is likely when the debt problem is discussed. will lead to council esta the middle c and 'About 60 to 70 per cent of all workers are on some sort of a bonus or piecework basis. Because their earnings change so much, they could find themselves continually having to apply for a means test.

'Another thing is people with grown-up sons and daughters living at home who go out to work could find themselves paying more rent because the assessment is made on the person with the highest income.

"This Bill is taking us back before World War I. It aims to make a profit out of rents. And any more money made won't buy one brick because most of it will go back to the Tory government.

lust think of the tremendous amount of irreparable damage this government has done in such a short period of time. It will become impossible for future generations to get a place to live.

'There are 6,000 applicants on Ealing's housing list. If they double the rents, people will have to show they're earning about £35 a week. Will they get on the list? Will they get a flat? Of course not!

'The idea of housing as a social necessity has been eliminated. The Tories want to run housing on• a dictatorial basis - telling councils poor families being tes and the turning lass.

tenants get rent cannot But section 16 (2) of the Bill enables local authorities to savagely cut rent allowances in certain circumstances. •Fair Deal for Housing', the White Paper forerunner of the Bill states:

The allowance will be based on only a proportion of the fair rent if the dwelling is much larger than the tenant requires or is situated in an area where the Property- values tenant is living from choice rather than from necessity.' This provision could work out in the following way. An elderly couple live in an area which has recently become fashionable and well sought after.

Property values in the area have jumped as a result. 'Fair-rent' levels cannot fail to reflect this new situation, with the result the rent of the elderly couple's flat soars above its former controlled level.

They would probably need the maximum rent allowance of f7. But the local authority could refuse to pay this amount on the grounds that the flat is in an area of high property values.

In this way such people could be forced out and their property turned over to the rich and trendy, as is happening in many parts of central London at the moment.

what they can't do.

Bill. are supposed to allowance if they afford the 'fair S Acton chairman Tom Oram Oram and 'Now private tenants will find their rents going up two and a half times. It's returning to the days of Rachmanism. Private landlords have been given all the rights under this "They'll be turning round and saying get out to those who can't afford £10 a week. If you won't go they'll always find some excuse. Don't forget many of these tenants don't have a bona fide rent book.

'So they won't have a cat-in-hell's chance, especially if they don't know under what conditions they took the place.

'A few years ago, when the Tories ran Ealing council, they told me that the "fair rent" for my flat was about £12 a week. What more damage can the Tories do? Do they want another Ireland here?

'At some time there'll have to be a real people's party which will represent our interests which no one does at the moment.

"The working class will have to say what they want and demand their rights. And we've got to have a leadership which will support us. There's no doubt this rents issue is going to blow. and I'm waiting for it,' said Mr Oram. UNDER THE BILL:

AVERAGE RENTS will double on £50 fine.

LOCAL AUTHORITIES are raising rents on October 1, of up to £400.

every six months.

PRIVATE TENANTS—1.3 in controlled properties: in controlled properties: Decontrol next January and their rents will next January and their 'fair' levels.

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