No illusions in Labour's 'opposition'

BY PHILIP LEWISHAM Labour Party LEWISHAM Labour Party in S London has had to rethink its attitude to the Housing Finance Bill under mass pressure from tenants in the area.

The council, which is Labour controlled, had already voted to implement the terms of the Bill if it became law. Fifteen Labour councillors voted against.

But last week a meeting of the Labour group decided to reverse this decision while tenants from several associations lobbied outside. The whole question will come before the council again on April 26.

Chairman of the New Evelyn Tenants' Association is John Bays. This new estate in Deptford is entirely constructed in prefabricated concrete slabs. For his three-bedroom maisonette, Mr Bays is already paying £7.32 following a recent rates increase.

'Come October and it could be €8.32 and next year £9.32. That's diabolical.

The one aim of this. Bitchante increase rents as high and as often as possible. The whole concept of housing as a social service is being knocked.

'The Tories keep boasting about the rebates you can get. But you'll still have he pay an increase no increase matters. only way you benefit is if you have eight children and earn about £15 a week. Phenomenal rise in house prices— 30 p.c. a year! HOUSE prices are now rising at the phenomenal rate of 30 per cent a year, said the Nationwide Building Society yesterday.

Last year prices rose by 20 per cent. But already in the first three months of 1972 there has been an average increase of 7 per cent.

The biggest increase was-for older properties which went up by 8 pet cent. New houses rose 7} per cent in price and modern dwellings 6 per cent.

The average prices of new property mortgaged with the society exceeded £5,000 while in London the figure shot above £10,000 for the first time.

The rapid inflation in house prices has been gathering pace over the last 18 months. In the first half of 1971 the rate was about 4 per cent. In the second half it had increased to 6 per cent.

The society blames John Bays outside his In any case the idea of a means test is a liberty. It's wrong to have to be in a position to apply for one, said Mr Bays, who has been unemployed since last October. 'We're more or less stuck here in this concrete jungle and now they're saying to the ordinary tenant: "Your rent's going up—and if you don't like it you can get out." 'And we have no redress about the increases. Once the new rent's fixed, that's that—there's no appeal.' Mr Bays was sceptical about the lack of a clear lead from the Labour Party locally and nationally on the 'fair rents' Bill. 'When we sent three coachloads up to the House of Commons lobby it was 10 p.m. before we saw our MP. He told us that what we needed Many of the Labour councillors talk big when they're in opposition. But when the ball is in their court they're not so hot. 'For example, last year's chairman of the housing committee always proclaimed Labour would never sanction rent increases if they got control of the council. Yet he was one of the first to vote for the for the increase in House prices.

In London and the S they estimate one-third of the selling price is accounted for by land prices.

While people are being forced to pay £10,000 and over for new house, the Society's chief general manager, Mr Leonard Williams, doesn't think they are being priced out of the market. * Young people were generally able to save the necessary deposit, and initial mortgage repayments could often be made out of the joint incomes of husband and wife,' he said.

With young couples perhaps paying over their entire income for a house, land and property speculators have never had it so good. And this is before the passing of the Housing Finance Bill.

If that goes through, prices will be further inflated as more and more tenants are driven out of council housing into the private housing market.

Non-strikers register BRITAIN'S newest teachers organization, the non-striking Professional Association of Teachers, has provisionally. registered under the Industrial Relations Act. The 3,500-strong Professional Association of Teachers was founded after the teachers' strikes of 1970 and is against militant action. Lancaster sit-in: Police papers with the DPP A REPORT naming nine students has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions following a student sit-in at Lancaster university. The leader of the students' union is among those on the list.

It is believed that charges following a police investigation may include 'conspiracy to commit a trespass'.

Chairman of the Students' Representative Council, Mike Murray, who is among those named in the report, says that the SRC is consulting a lawyer from the National Council for Civil Liberties for The sit-in arose as a result of moves by the university authorities to dismiss a left-wing lecturer Dr David Craig. This followed a strike involving the majority of students in the university. They were complaining about:

THE AFFAIRS in English Department.

THE REFUSAL to grant permanent tenure to two . the teaching, staff.. implementation of the Bill when came before the council.

In politics today, repreconne seem to do what they want and not what the people elected them to do. We don't vote for the individual, we vote for what the party stands for.

*If Labour councils do decide to refuse to implement the Bill it will be no good us sitting back-we've got to keep pressurizing them to make them keep their word.

'We certainly won't be able to defeat the Bill on the basis of individual associations. We need a massive, national action, one that is sort of continuous. But I don't think the Tories will drop the Bill.

'I suppose the only alternative is a change of government. The Housing Finance Bill-could bring the Tories down. If tenants support the councillors, the government couldn't make it work.

'We would need 100 per cent support from the trade unions. The next few months will be crucial. It is not going to be something we'll accept. without fighting. *'Housing has to revert to being a social service. I think one way that they both notice.

THE PLACING of another lecturer on a "probationary year' the grounds that he did not yet have the 'right attitude.

It was also widely believed that David Craig, a Communist Party member, had been the victim of political discrimination in the department, and that the moves against the other staff were part of the same pattern.

The strike, organized by meetings in each department, brought out 20 of the university's 24 departments.

During the strike, the students organized 'alternative seminars', involving a critical discussion of their subjects.

But a proposal to declare a free university was rejected by the students on the grounds that it would be a diversion from the On Wednesday, March 22, reacting the strike, the university vice-Chancellor Charles F. Carter, announced that Dr Craig was to face charges of 'disruptive activities'.

He would be brought before a "" wniversity given UNDER THE BILL:

estate agent thinks a property is worth.

• AVERAGE RENTS own estimate. In rates) will rise to £50 fine.

LOCAL AUTHORITIES are

raising rents on October 1, Increase of £1 this year and of up to £400.

every six months, HOUSING REVENUE accounts will move surplus and half of this will be taken by government. In three or four years tenants be paying an extra £500 million in rents. PRIVATE TENANTS-1.3 In controlled properties: next January and their 'fair' levels.

DISCUSSION on the Bill was cut Torles on March 29. It has now fini mittee stage in the House of Cor more days are left for the repc reading stages before it goes to Lords.

a Labour government could solve this is cut all councils' repayments to the financiers. It should clear the slate clean—wipe out all the debts to the moneylenders, all the interest charges.

'And a law should be passed restricting the moneylenders from charging such huge interest rates,' said Mr Bays.

tribunal which would decide on his dismissal.

The following day, a mass meeting of about 1,000 students voted to stage a 24-hour occupation of the University administration building and the computer centre.

Last week, university secretary Stephen Jeffereys said proceedings would be instituted before a university tribunal against 'students identified as having. taken a significant part in the occupation of the administration and computer buildings on March 23 and March 24'.

They could face expulsion. Others might also face a court action instead.

Dr Craig has now been suspended on full pay until his case is decided.

A motion for his dismissal will be discussed by the University Council on May 2. It is understood he will probably be legally represented at the meeting.

The University Council is a body on which various outside interests, as well as the university authorities are represented.

Some 90 teaching staff at the University ..have signed a. ., letter, wlll double on government's London rents of £3.50 (plus (plus rates).

obliged to begin with a compulsory 75p next year.

will million of them-living Decontrol begins from rents will be raised to short by the shed Its com. nmons. Three irt and third the House of expressing their disquiet' at the authorities' handling of recent affairs.

They have sent this to the Pro-Chancellor, who presides over the University Council.

This post was formerly held by the 18th Earl of Derby, a prominent Lancashire Tory, but he resigned last year.

His successor is Lord Greenwood of Rossendale-the former Labour MP Anthony Greenwood.

He was at one time prominent in such activities as the CND, and The Movement for Colonial Freedom, but he went on to become Colonial Secretary in the Wilson government.

It may be interesting to watch his role in this university dispute.

In the meantime, building alterations are taking place in University House, the administration building.

Strong, heavy doors are being fitted at sarious points, neine POINTS and installed on the main stairs leading to the administrative offices.

The students are due meeting at the beginning, to hold another mass of next term.