Campaigners outside the Brent Civic Centre chant, 'We are the waiting list.'
Brent Renters Union held a march (which involved a bit of a teach-in using the local high rises as a visual aid) and protested outside Quintain Living and Brent Council today. Under the slogan, 'We can't afford the rent in Brent!' they drew attention to the lack of affordable public housing in Wembley Park despite the thousands of units built by Quintain, the US based developer.
They called for affordable homes, rent controls and more social housing as they stood amidst the glossy high rises. The flats were in stark contrast to the photographs some of the protesters showed me of cockroach, flies, bed bugs and vermin infested temporary homes and poorly maintainance of those managed by NottingHillGenesis.
One mother pointed to the bites on her son's arms and face and said that he was ashamed to go go school among his clear-skinned class mates. 'He is not well,' she sighed, saying that he was also suffering from asthma.
The Union had written a letter outlining their demands to Quintain Living but found the doors locked against them. They managed to slip the letter through the narrow gaps between the doors where it just lay on the floor.
Very symbolic.
Miss Mohamud, of the Brent Branch of the London Renters Union, gave Wembley Matters an eloquent interview about the issues renters face.
The march finished with a protest outside Brent Civic Centre with the longest banner seen in any demonstration there! The demonstration was peaceful with an underlying anger about injustice and a resolute determination to bring about change. Many of the councillors were away, including several, including Council leader Muhammed Butt, at a wedding in Pakistan but one councillor came out and spoke to the demonstrators.
A young woman from a homeless family in temporary accommodation made a passionate speech.
📢 "Landlords are profiting off of our problems!"
— London Renters Union (@LDNRentersUnion) October 29, 2024
💥 Last week, renters in Brent took to the streets to demand affordable homes.
📈 We're sick of seeing new expensive flats that price ordinary people out. We need social homes for families and rent controls now. pic.twitter.com/AhEl3xPpv1
Brent Renters Union can be contacted at brent@londonrentersunion.org
07521 758 523 Twitter: @brentrenters
Their next Brent Community Meeting is on Saturday November 2nd 12-4pm at Mencap, 379 High Road, NW10 2JR
Whilst we also hate Quintain towers and all the other expensive high rises all around us where were all these protesters when the planning applications for these tower blocks were being consulted on??? Where were their objections to these planning applications with no or very few affordable homes???
ReplyDeleteWhy have they continued to vote for Labour Councillors when majority Labour run Brent Council has openly squandered huge chances to build only Council homes on sites that they own such as the old Copland School site???
What have you done to Brent Towerblock? We will never forget you and what you've not done for us
ReplyDeleteNo definition of what brownfield land is in English law over decades has forced no right to community Brent population growths zoned. In this austerity extreme applied, social housing estates are only brownfield land for market disposal in a Brent policy churn of many plans, ruins and remediations zoned.
ReplyDeleteWhile property and rental prices are of course too high in London and many parts of the UK, people have to unfortunately live within their means. This includes not having children if you cannot afford to raise or home them, and moving to areas where prices are lower. We live in a capitalist system, whether one likes that or not.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Don’t expect to live at a place like Quintain, if you simply can’t afford it or are likely on benefits, you simply cannot live beyond your means and expect the country to just lower the costs because you can’t keep up. The world has to keep moving, we need change.
DeleteSorry why do they want to complain to Quintain? If you literally cant afford to live there
DeleteFrom what we here there is loads of ASB around and within the new Wembley Park tower blocks, not just on event days, so they may not want to live there anyway.
DeleteIf the quality of rental properties is really bad this is something the government and local councils should be addressing. There should be random inspections and they could take away landlord licences until proper repairs are carried out.
ReplyDeleteThank you for attending and covering this - it was 12noon on a weekday so we had a decent turnout.
ReplyDeleteThe housing crisis continues and deteriorates by the day: 34,000 families on Brent's waiting list. A studio flat is around £900 per month average in Brent and a one bedroom property something like £1300pm. The average take home pay in Brent is around £1800. Greedy landlords (over half of whom no longer have a mortgage to pay) are simply following & charging market rates. 50% plus landlords no longer have a mortgage and it's estimated that 80% of Brent's 100,000 private renters live in a property where the landlord no longer has a major cost to his business (a mortgage/house loan).
Rent reductions &need to be brought in to, inter alia, create a redistribution of disposable money from the few (landlords) - to the very many (renters).
Rents are driven by demand. If you can't afford the rent here then why not move somewhere cheaper as loads of people have always had to do? If everybody did this the landlords here would have to to lower their rents.
ReplyDeleteWondering why you had a good turnout at 12.00noon on a weekday? Were people not at work earning money to pay their exorbitant rents??? We leave home for work at 7.00am and get back after 7pm, certainly wouldn't be free to attend a meeting at 12noon on a weekday!
The Basic human right of housing is too crucial to leave to the vagaries and the cruelties of the free market.
DeleteIf you really must cry I would estimate that of those who tended 40% were housewives 30% were retired or unemployed and 30% were people who take entire off work or had flexible working hours that they could come and join us for the two hours
How do you know how many landlords have paid off their mortgages???
ReplyDeleteMost of these landlords have worked hard to buy properties and fit them out to a good standard which costs money - if they use managing agents that's more money, plus there are costs for maintenance and insurance for the building, bad debts etc - it's not just mortgage costs involved.
The National Residential Landlords Association themselves accept its at least 40%. It's a fair assumption it's a lot more - especially in London. Do you have evidence to prove it's otherwise?????
ReplyDeleteAs the current prime minister Kier Starmer has said: landlords are not working persons they're just living off investments. Most landlords do not work hard they just outsource all their admin to letting agents who almost invariably act like a bullies. And their behaviour Is largely unchecked because theyir victims are the poor, the recent immigrants, the young.. you know the sort of democratics that are not represented in our local or central government
Is this the same Keir Starmer who has a personal net wealth of £7million yet readily accepts free tickets, free suits, free glasses and free accomodation with none of these declared for tax purposes??? If I got a work bonus I'd have to pay tax on it yet he gets these 'gifts' tax free???
ReplyDeleteLandlords are working people who pay tax contributing towards society and they've probably worked hard all their lives. They have to pay tax on rental income and tax if they sell a property plus vat for things like insurance, legal costs and building works.
And not all landlords are old or wealthy - watch Homes Under the Hammer and you'll see working people, like NHS staff, and young people, including students funding their university degrees, buying up cheap auction properties and working hard, often late evenings and weekends, to do them up. Then they take the risk to rent them out not knowing whether tenants will trash their property - a friend rented out her flat and the tenants caused so much damage, including stubbing out cigarettes on the bath, it cost thousands to repair the damage.
FOXTON says “I would estimate that of those who attended 40% were housewives 30% were retired or unemployed” - why are the housewives not working and contributing to their household budget? Our mother worked as a child minder and then in the local supermarket and all my school friends mothers all worked in local jobs too, they all had to work to help pay their rent or mortgage. Why are those who are unemployed not working? There are currently hundreds of thousands of job vacancies out there.
ReplyDeleteFoxton also says "The Basic human right of housing is too crucial to leave to the vagaries and the cruelties of the free market." - why is housing a basic human right? Housing is something we all have to earn money to pay for - my parents both had to move to find jobs and both worked to pay their rent in the free market uncapped and without all the benefits you can now claim from the government if you know how to work the system.
ReplyDeleteCouncil housing is not a right either.
By Housewives , I meant mothers with kids whose partners are at work. I would kindly ask you to concentrate on the substantive issues and not on personal matters
ReplyDeleteYou make a personal attack landlords suggesting they are not 'working' but majority of landlords are hard working people providing for their families so why aren't these housewives working too to help provide for their families?
ReplyDeleteSir Keir is correct. LLs cannot be described as "working persons". They have a passive income, an investment and vast majority of them offload work to an agent or another third party. The ppl you refer have v young children; because of childcare, many will find it difficult to have another job, in terms of logistics and money wise.
ReplyDeleteIf you really want to find out about renting & renters, come to the London renters Union Brent branch a meeting in Willesden this Saturday starts at 12 o'clock.
Your comments re landlords are really offensive - you just expect them to rent their hard earned properties to you without accepting that majority of landlords are hard working people?
ReplyDeleteMy mother worked whilst we were young by fitting her work around our childcare needs, and my Dad's working hours - this was before the current work from home culture and flexible working - she didn't get benefits to help with anything.
I note that you have not acknowledged my well intentioned invitation to you.
ReplyDeleteI repeat: 12 noon Willesden High Rd NW10 2JR.
This Saturday 2nd November
ReplyDeleteAnd I repeat landlords are not hard working people by and large
ReplyDeleteSome are yes - but very few; very very few. The vast majority of them offload their interest,their involvement, their admin, the DIY onto estate agents, third parties and builders.
You know that. I know that everyone knows that.
If you think this is true prove it!!!
ReplyDelete