Authors:Legal Action Group
Created:2021-09-20
Last updated:2023-09-18
Two rallies highlight the plights of renters and leaseholders
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Marc Bloomfield
Description: Renters Reform Coalition rally 14 September 2021
The Renters Reform Coalition (RRC) braved a torrential downpour to attend Renters' Day outside parliament on 14 September 2021. The RRC's campaign, #WeCantGoBack, resulted in 1,707 supporters emailing their MPs to ask them to attend. There was a good turnout of MPs, including the shadow housing secretary, Lucy Powell, and Lloyd Russell-Moyle, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Renters and Rental Reform.
Chair of the RRC, LAG’s Sue James, said: ‘The pandemic has painfully reminded us of the importance of a safe and secure home, yet the lifting of the eviction restrictions takes that basic need further away.’ The RRC is calling for an end to s21 (no-fault evictions), something that the government promised in 2019, as well as other reforms to the private renting system.
The weather had improved considerably two days later, on 16 September, when the Leaseholders Together rally, organised by End Our Cladding Scandal, the National Leasehold Campaign (NLC) and the charity Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, brought together hundreds of people from across the country to highlight issues faced by millions: cladding, fire safety, and high ground rents, insurance and service charges. Speaking at the rally, London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, exclaimed: ‘What I fail to understand is how anybody who spent time with the Grenfell Tower community doesn’t feel a sense of urgency to make all our homes safe.’ Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn said: ‘This is a problem that’s not [leaseholders’] fault … If you bought a faulty car or washing machine that was a fire risk and a company told you that you had to pay to fix it, you’d say get lost.’
The Leaseholders Together rally took place the day after Michael Gove replaced Robert Jenrick as housing, communities and local government secretary.