Sheffield meeting called to fight Government's new housing bill

A range of speakers opposed to the Government's new Housing and Planning bill will address people at a public meeting in Sheffield this weekend.
John Healey MP. Picture Dean AtkinsJohn Healey MP. Picture Dean Atkins
John Healey MP. Picture Dean Atkins

Sheffield Trades Union Council and Sheffield Defend Housing will hold the meeting at Quaker Meeting House in St James Street from 1pm on Saturday.

Speakers including shadow communities minister John Healey. UNITE housing activist Glyn Robbins will launch a city campaign to represent tenants, housing workers and councillors.

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Mr Healey has called on the Government to scrap the bill, claiming that ministers are ‘losing the argument’.

Among the changes in the bill would be a ‘pay to stay’ scheme, under which tenants would be charged market rates once they earn more than £30,000.

Paul Page of Sheffield Defend Housing said: “We believe that no matter how crazy this bill looks, it is a reflection of a long-held wish by the Conservative Party to get rid of council housing totally. This against a backdrop of an acute shortage of affordable housing.”

Campaigners will lobby the House of Commons on May 11 and plan to hold a national demonstration on June 18.