By Benjamin Irvine (@econbecon)   In the absence of adequate income support or rent relief programmes from the government, Rent Strike Committees across Spain are bringing renters together to negotiate with landlords and enable people to stay in their homes at a price that gives them room to breathe.   Precipitated by the coronavirus lockdown …

By Stuart Hodkinson (@stuhodkinson) and Phil Murphy (@MancCommunities)   Three years ago, at around 12.50am on 14 June 2017, a small kitchen fire started in a flat on the fourth floor of Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey public housing block of flats on the Lancaster West estate in North Kensington, London. The fire began from an …

By GMHA (@gmhousingaction)   Today marks the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea, one of the deadliest peacetime fires in British history that killed 72 people and destroyed the lives of countless more.    For those who were in or around Grenfell Tower on the night …

By The Meteor Team (@mcrmeteor)   For the past few months The Meteor has been covering Manchester City Council’s suspension of its planning committee. We explain why we’re committed to continuing to cover this issue, which has seen controversial proposals previously rejected, approved under delegated powers.   In March, Manchester City Council suspended its planning …

...or, Why Landlordism is Inherently Exploititative   By Tom Lavin (@tomlavin13)   Introduction: Good Landlord/Bad Landlord   Nominally ‘progressive’ housing charities, NGOs, politicians and newspapers are all quick to distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ landlords. 1 When they want to add a bit of drama, they enjoy describing the bad landlords as ‘rogue’. Whilst it …

By Owen Hatherley (@owenhatherley)   Over the weekend, a few items down on the headlines, below the pandemic and the protests and curfews in the US, was a story about a private Manchester high-rise called Skyline Central. This is one of dozens of speculative 'luxury flats' built in the centres of Manchester and Salford during …

By Tenants Union UK (@tenantsunionuk)   During the COVID-19 crisis the government suspended section 21 evictions. Now, under pressure from the landlord lobby, they are planning on lifting this suspension. This means hundreds of thousands of tenants will now be at risk of ‘no fault’ section 21 evictions.   We need the government to end …

By GMHA (@gmhousingaction)   Tomorrow Manchester City Council’s 10 member Executive will meet online, (citizens can observe via the webcast here). Alongside discussions about the financial impact of COVID-19 and the need for a new Council budget, the Executive will also discuss a paper on the establishment of a Housing Development Company. The stated intention …

By Dillon Newton (@dillon_newton)   Researchers from the University of Huddersfield and Northern Housing Consortium are looking for residents and practitioners to be interviewed as part of the project ‘Lockdown and the impact of housing on occupants’.   The overall purpose of the study is to develop an understanding of the impact the lockdown measures, …

By ACORN Manchester (@AcornManchester)   In order to protect Greater Manchester’s private renters from eviction during the COVID-19 outbreak ACORN Manchester calls on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the 10 Local Authorities in the region to:   Prevent Homelessness: Make a public statement of commitment that they will prevent any evictions and homelessness due to …