This blog cannot and does not speak for the myriad autonomous anti-bedroom tax groups across merseyside and the UK.

Thursday 12 December 2013

All Landlords Are Bastards: The Case of the Kent Two

The Wilsons


Gobshites Fergus and Judith Wilson (above) have called time on renting to current and prospective tenants who access in and out-of-work benefits they're entitled to because "Landlords are business people and we are looking to make a profit."

With Universal Credit round the corner (somewhere) and housing benefit already slashed, these horrible bastards are concerned that they won't be able to sustain the profiteering they've grown accustomed to.

So, their solution is turf out tenants accessing housing benefit and start exploiting "eastern European people who are working".

There has been a recent spike in tenants organising against landlords, mostly private tenant groups angered by increasing rents and mostly groups or associations deploying awareness-raising tactics.

This is not enough. Landlords (social & private) must be confronted directly, and collectively, because all other options default to the state and its legal apparatus; locking struggles within their terms and preventing working class people from defining the fight. 

Remodelled solidarity networks, most prevalant in the states, have been practicing  ways of organising that puts mutual aid, direct action and direct desicion-making at the core of their struggles, but there are limitations to what these networks can accomplish and often, over time, they end up replicating dis-empowering Third Sector organisations.

We will not move any step further towards our objectives if we continue to use diplomatic, concessionary and non-confrontational tactics. Landlords and their ilk are not arsed about tenants and will only react if they are truly threatened. Anything less will result in the continued exploitation of tenants (us) by parasites like Fergus and Judith.




(ya)
combatbedroomtax@gmail.com

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Councillors employed by North Lincolnshire Homes verbally attack bedroom tax-hit tenants

These two work for North Lincolnshire Council:

Cllr Liz Redfern (image via www.VisitScunthorpe.Com)









Cllr Robert Waltham
They've recently been in the news verbally attacking North Lincs tenants hit by the bedroom tax. They are trying to scapegoat tenants, who have the gall to make life a little bit more bearable for themselves, by refusing discretionary housing payments (DHP) based on 'undeserving'/'deserving' criteria. 

Today, North Lincolnshire Homes, now OnGo, set about distancing themselves from Cllrs Waltham and Redfern by responding to allegations that they were complicit in the verbal attacks on bedroom tax-hit tenants and the DHP application process:

https://twitter.com/nlhomes/status/407805296182972417

Combat Workfare understand that North Lincs Homes doesn't have any involvement in the DHP applications process, but they tweeted it anyway to deflect from what we were actually getting at: that both Councillors Waltham and Redfern are directors at North Lincolnshire Homes and its partnership limited company OnGo respectively.

North Lincolnshire Homes are bullshitters. They insist they want to help tenants "as best we can", yet they employ, and most likely pay, Councillors to sit on their board and let their verbal attacks on tenants go unchallenged.

https://twitter.com/nlhomes/status/407810295944327168

Still they insisted on distancing themselves from North Lincs council:

https://twitter.com/nlhomes/status/407810897328218112
  
As pointed out by Joe Halewood, "49 out of 50 who apply for a bedroom tax DHP will not get one". A DHP refusal rate that is being directly impacted-on by the vicious policies of Cllrs Waltham & Redfern, who sit on the boards of one of North Lincs largest housing associations.

It's about time CEO of OnGo and North Lincolnshire Homes Andy Orrey started giving some answers to why these Councillors are allowed to sit on the board, when they clearly have such disdain for North Lincs tenants.

Let North Lincs Homes & the Councillors know what you think:

Cllr Robert Waltham:

Telephone Number: 01652652021
Mobile Number: 07977987903
Email Address: rob.waltham@northlincs.gov.uk

Cllr Liz Redfern:

Tel: 01724 297556

Mobile: 07717 587596
Email: Cllr.LizRedfern@northlincs.gov.uk

Andy Orrey, CEO of OnGo (North Lincolnshire Holmes):

twitter: @AndyOrrey

North Lincolnshire Homes:

twitter: @nlhomes
facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/nlhomes


combatbedroomtax@gmail.com