MIPIM - Housing Report
In October, branch Member Glyn Robbins reported on the obscene MIPIM property developers event that was taking place in London, and the campaign groups that were coming together to oppose it (read more on this and Glyn's article, published in the Guardian, here).
Although the event has now finished, Unite's report, produced for the event, contains some interesting statistics that might be useful for other campaigns. The statistics cover the housing crisis in the UK on the one hand, and the profits made by property tycoons and landlords on the other. The leaflet also sets out demands that should be made to eliminate the housing crisis, namely:
"A massive programme of council house building: Let’s bust the myth that council housing is a drain on public finances. It is not. On the contrary, council tenants’ rents have generated a surplus. This was then siphoned off by the Treasury. Decent,green council housing means lower energy bills, reduced fuel poverty and hundreds of jobs.
"Regulation of landlords: Rent controls (which work in Sweden, Germany, and parts of the US) could work in the UK. Tenants also need better rights and security. Housing markets left unregulated do not meet housing need. Instead, they substantially increase the wealth of a small number of individuals and companies at the expense of the mass of the population.".
