Council tenants 'outraged' at housing minister's employment contract plans » Housing » 24dash.com

Council tenants across the UK reacted with outrage today in response to the new housing minister's plans to introduce employment 'commitment contracts'.

Caroline Flint is proposing that tenants be forced to sign up to seek employment or lose their secure tenancies.

Alan Walter, Defend Council Housing chair, said: "It is an outrage that any government Minister talks to council tenants like this - they wouldn't dare treat home owners in the leafy suburbs with this kind of contempt or try and make their tenure conditional on employment.

"This is obviously part of a long running strategy to try and stigmatise council housing as housing of last resort.

"It runs alongside continuing blackmail on tenants and councils to privatise council homes, asset stripping public land for private development and forcing people into the private market.

"The fact is that first class public (council) housing providing homes that are actually affordable, offer real security and an accountable landlord makes perfect sense.

"Government is already facing massive opposition to its proposals to introduce a means test clause in the Housing and Regeneration Bill going through Parliament and there is growing support amongst MPs for amendments to require government to invest in council housing to improve existing homes and estates and build a new generation of first class council housing.

"It is time Ministers dropped this right wing dogma and listened to the people. We want investment in first class council housing and we're determined to see off this latest attack."

Adam Sampson, chief executive of Housing charity Shelter, said: "The Government wants to return Britain's unemployed to the workhouse by throwing them onto the streets.

"What is being proposed would destroy families and communities and add to the thousands who are already homeless.

"We accept there's a problem with some unemployed people shying away from work, but the Government must find other ways to tackle the issue like revamping the housing benefit system.

"Making people homeless means they do not have an address, which makes it even more difficult to find work.

"The Government's failure to invest in housing means the only people occupying social homes are the most disadvantaged in our society. Any scheme like this would be hugely expensive and simply condemn already vulnerable people and their families."

Meanwhile, the National Housing Federation, which represents England's housing associations, says that a 'work or lose your home' policy for social housing tenants would be unfair and impossible to enforce.

Chief executive of the National Housing Federation David Orr said: "Efforts to help social housing tenants into work are very welcome. But threatening tenants with the loss of their home is absolutely the wrong way to go about it.

"Such a policy would be unfair and impossible to enforce. Many of the jobs open to people, especially at the lower skills end, are insecure or temporary. Also, people with health problems, such as mental health issues may find there are periods when they cannot keep up their job.

"Instead of taking a punitive approach, the Government should build upon the successful employment schemes already being run by housing associations around the country.

"In Yorkshire and Humberside alone, where Caroline Flint's constituency is based, housing associations have provided training to 16,600 people over the last five years, and helped 2,800 young people to gain formal qualifications."