By Vik Chechi-Ribeiro (@VikCR86)   In October, Vik wrote a piece for GMHA titled ‘Trade Unions, workers and the housing struggle’ where he outlined the need for joint organising between trade unions and renter unions. Here we publish a follow up piece, reflecting on activity that has taken place since that article; and sketching further …

By Nigel de Noronha (@denoronhanigel)   This contribution to the debate about housing after Covid argues that racial discrimination is a long-standing feature of British housing policy, provides emerging evidence of racial inequalities in debt and future housing expectations, and proposes the grounds for a broad-based campaign to re-assert the right to adequate, affordable housing …

By Caitlin Colquhoun (@ckcolq)   Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) are being increasingly employed across the country. The centre of Manchester has not been spared in their rollout, with the latest attempt to introduce a PSPO in Manchester City Centre. The effects of PSPOs are far-reaching. They give the police broad powers to limit the …

By the Greater Manchester Law Centre (@gmlawcentre)   280,000 are homeless in England 750,000 are behind on their rent 2000 possession orders were made in the run up to Christmas 500 households were evicted by bailiffs despite eviction ban   On 31 March 2021, the current eviction ‘ban’ ends and the extended warning of eviction …

By Allison Fewtrell   Despite the extension on the Eviction Ban to 31st March, tenants can still receive eviction notices.   Nearly half a million tenants are in arrears across the UK but according to research by the NRLA landlord lobbying group that figure is closer to 1 million.   In Greater Manchester, an estimated …

By Richard Goulding (@richmg_)   Brett Christophers, Rentier Capitalism: Who Owns the Economy, and Who Pays for It?, Verso Books, October 2020.   Brett Christophers is a political economist and economic geographer at Uppsala University, Sweden. A well-respected academic whose research explores money, finance, law and housing, he has gained wider recognition in recent years for his …

By Trees Not Cars (@TreesNotCars)   On Thursday 17th October 2019, Manchester City Council’s planning committee voted through controversial plans to use a former retail park in Ancoats as a temporary 440-space car park for up to two years. They ignored 12,200 people who signed our petition to disagree (10,000 of these living in Greater …

By Greater Manchester Labour for a Green New Deal (@mcrLabGND)   Storm Christoph showed that Manchester is susceptible to the adverse effects of extreme weather events, which are forecast to become more regular occurrences.   Greater Manchester Labour for a Green New Deal argue that we must abandon the idea of developing on greenbelt, and …

By Lily Gordon Brown (@lilygbrown)       The LS26 ‘Save Our Homes’ campaign recently received the devastating news that Pemberstone Ltd’s appeal was successful. Residents of the Oulton Estate now face the demolition of their homes in the name of developer profits. This is indicative of a far wider trend across the UK housing …

By Nick Bano (@NickBano)   We republish Nick Bano's analysis of how Thatcher's legislation laid the groundwork for today's housing crisis, creating the 'rise' of the landlords, and how the contradictions of the system and the response of the organised renters movement may be ushering in the conditions for their 'fall'. It originally appeared on …