Tenants must win support of trade unions

its sweep across the country.

Last week the London borough of Waltham Forest announced increases of up to 30s. a week spread over 18 months for its 12,000 tenants. • In Islington, where the increases in some cases almost double the existing rents, two Labour councillors have resigned the Labour group in protest.

A demonstration of over 600 tenants outside the Town Hall led to an assurance by the Mayor, and the Chairman of the Housing Committee that every attempt will be made to call a meeting of the committee this week—to discuss the possibility of the rents being raised in instalments.

REBATE

Most of the increases are accompanied by some form of rent rebate scheme and, as has been frequently pointed out, rent rebates are intended to squeeze the highest possible rents from the tenants.

A report on housing in Britain, issued last week by Political and Economic Planning, goes even further.

It says: 'It may be argued that subsidies should be reserved for those families that, because of age, lack of earning capacity, or other handicaps, are unable to afford economic rents' In other words all other tenants must pay the full, unsubsidised economic rent, of which today, much more than half represents interest charges.

It is significant that side by side with the rent increases and the demand for 'means test' rebate schemes there has been an increase in racialism.

It is the low standard of working-class housing that makes it possible for the racialists to spread their propaganda and divide and divert the workers.

•Bad housing and high rents can be blamed on one class and one class only-the class which includes the landlords, the financiers and the big building interests (the Political and Economic Planning report mentions that the investment of private capital in dwellings for lettings has practically stopped).

TRADE UNIONISTS

This is the class which the Labour government and the Labour-controlled councils are supporting through their policies and actions.

Tenants must fight back against these attacks. But they cannot fight alone. The many successful tenants' movements of the past have been won through supporting action from trade unionists.

Today the Young Socialists can give a lead in building up tenants' committees and enlisting the support of their trade Tenants living on council estates, like these in London, must organise unions for demands that The Stalinists of the British councils: • Refuse to increase rents or rates.

Refuse to cut back building programmes.

Refuse to pay interest charges.

Demand nationalization of the banks, building and building supplies industries and the land. for support of the trade unions.

Communist Party can give no lead to the tenants' struggles.

They talk vaguely about councils insisting that interest on housing should be cut, without saying anything about the need for tenants to force the councils to take up a real fight against high interest rates.

Their only role is to cover for the Wilson government.