New Manifesto for Council Housing launched at DCH conference

More than 250 delegates from 45 areas signed up to a new Manifesto for Council Housing at Defend Council Housing's annual conference last week.

Speakers at the event in central London included Austin Mitchell MP, who demanded that the Government release its detailed council housing finance reform proposals without further delay.

"Government says it has housing at its heart, he said, but it needs a heart transplant, to move the heart nearer to the brain," he said.

Steve Partridge from the Chartered Institute of Housing indicated the reform proposals, for self-financing of council housing, will be announced this week following the budget statement.

Jack Dromey of the Unite Union, meanwhile, backed the Manifesto by calling for a mass programme of council housing building.

He said: "The best way to build our way out of recession is to build council houses."

Frank Dobson MP attacked housing associations and councils who sell off housing. In his own area he claims Camden Council is selling at auction homes he bought up when he was council leader.

Tenant Alan Rickman (Winchester) told the conference: "Now is not the time to let this government or any future government off the hook' on council housing."

Linda McNeil, chair of Leeds Tenants Federation, added: "We mustn't tolerate any watering down of our security of tenure, nor stand idly by and watch our homes demolished in the name of regeneration."

Noting the conference's success, Eileen Short, chair of DCH said: "Support for council housing is growing and broadening, as the conference showed.

"We have forced government to shift policy. Now we will step up the campaigns against privatisation and demand that any politician who wants our votes pledges in writing their support for our Manifesto."