People should not be living in fear of losing their homes.  I believe the insecurity of renting is at the heart of a broken housing market where tenants are forced to move at short notice.  I am concerned that until the private rented sector is overhauled, it will continue to fail those who most need protection.

This morning, it was reported that the Government is planning on U-turning its promise to scrap Section 21 evictions.

This was a 2019 manifesto promise and something they said they would do only two months earlier – yet another example of Tory incompetence and unsustainability. London’s 2.6 million renters face the constant threat of eviction due to the outdated and ruthless no-fault eviction law. In my own constituency, I have seen a dramatic increase in evictions and people running out of housing options. This issue is extremely serious – people’s homes and livelihoods are at stake and the Government continues to turn a blind eye.

As a former Council Leader, I worked hard to deliver over 2,000 new affordable and social homes to people across the borough. I have consistently called on Government Ministers to introduce treasury-backed schemes to allow councils to start building affordable homes again. Time and time again, the Government has failed to do this. They have failed to build social housing. They have failed to build affordable homes. They are failing working people.

This year, I was granted a Parliamentary Adjournment Debate to discuss housing insecurity in the private rented sector.  It’s a massive issue in Hornsey & Wood Green where over 17,000 households rent privately. You can watch my contribution here – https://www.catherinewest.org.uk/latest-news/2022/01/14/watch-end-housing-insecurity-in-the-private-rented-sector/.

As many of you may know, Michael Gove, the previous Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was sacked by the previous Prime Minister and he will not return to Cabinet under Prime Minister Truss.  Given the Government has U-turned on its commitment to abolish Section 21 evictions, there are serious concerns they will also scrap Mr Gove’s White Paper “A Fairer Private Rented Sector”. This is so disappointing – I have long campaigned for better protection for private tenants. Yet, the Prime Minister continues to believe “the market will sort it”. No, this is not true – trickledown economics does not work. We need to tackle rogue landlords and stop unfair and illegal evictions.

I do hope the Government recognise these concerns and the need to start building more houses straight away. I appreciate that the private rental market, particularly in London, does not currently offer adequate support and protection for tenants. Rents are soaring, mortgage rates are climbing – all of this will cause further havoc for renters and I fear many more will be served with evictions in the coming months.

I know this is an issue that many local people feel strongly about and I can assure I will continue to campaign hard to increase the supply of housing, tackle rogue landlords and stabilize the private rental market to address this crisis in housing. Once again, I want to share my absolute disgust at this broken Tory promise, another policy change Prime Minister Liz Truss has no mandate for. I wholeheartedly believe Labour’s charter for renters will end this nightmare and give tenants the protection they deserve

We cannot trust the Tories to deliver justice. It’s time to Vote Them Out.