Birmingham Labour Group Raises the Rents

The Right-wing dominated Birmingham Labour Council is raising rents of 73,000 municipal tenants by sums ranging from 5d. to 12s. a week. The Labour Group took this decision after a special delegate conference from trade union and Labour Party branches had refused to endorse their proposals. demanded a month’s postponement so that the accounts of the Housing Committee could be studied.

Eight Labour councillors, and one former Labour councillor, voted against the Labour Group at the meeting of the City Council. Councillor Sheila Wright, who tabled an amendment to the proposals told a representative of The Newsletter: “We tabled a delaying amendment which called for a postponement of decision for one month to allow Tenants’ Committees and other bodies to be consulted by the Housing Management When asked if the councillors who voted for her amendment were opposed to rent increases as such, she said: “There are really mixed views among us on that—but all of us objected to the way it was forced through without allowing anybody to think up alternative schemes to alleviate the crisis in the -housing revenue accounts.’

Birmingham Borough Labour Party at a special meeting passed by 51 votes to 45 a motion condemning the leaders of the Labour Group for forcing through this decision to raise the rents after the rents conference had specifically demanded postponement.

At the same time a motion which virtually cancelled the first motion cut was carried by 63 votes to 27. This second motion said that whilst it disapproved of the Labour leaders’ actions, nevertheless the Party assures the Labour Group that it will This conference carry out its policy publicly.

The interesting thing about this motion is that it is quite obvious that it is no longer the Labour Party which makes policy, but the Labour Group on the local Countil. The Labour Party is becoming more and more an advisory body.

Whatever the antics of the Birmingham Borough Labour Party, thousands of poor tenants are bound to suffer hardship. The bulk of the increases will fall on pre-war and immediate post-war tenants. Many of the pre-war houses, unlike those built since the war, have no running hot water or similar amenities.

The Central Tenants’ Association is calling a public meeting to oppose the increases and a conference has been arranged for Sunday, November 15, to which all organizations are invited to send delegates and observers to discuss the position.

Aston CLP has endorsed the action of their four Labour councillors who voted against the rent increase proposals in the chamber.

The rent increases can be defeated, but only if a big campaign is launched which will draw in shop stewards’ committees, trade union and local Labour Party branches, linked with tenants’ committees on all the municipal housing estates.