House of Commons Council Housing Group

Introduction
Our group held a very successful inquiry in 2004/5. We have re-opened it in the light of all the experience since then and the opportunity provided by the Housing and Regeneration Bill to right the wrongs and secure the future of council housing.

Our first inquiry heard from tenants, councillors, housing officers and trade unions from all over the country. We hope that our call for evidence will receive an equally good response and that broad based delegations from across the UK will come to Parliament on January 22, 2008 to provide their local experience to our inquiry and also to lobby their MPs.

Our first report made a very powerful case for that change. We believe that this second inquiry will persuade more of our colleagues in Parliament, increasing pressure on government to provide the 'Fourth Option'.

We plan to table amendments to the Bill to enable councils to improve existing, build new and maintain all council housing as first class housing in years to come; defeat proposals that would introduce means testing and introduce a Code of Conduct to address the democratic deficit when tenants are consulted and make sure we don't empower predatory landlords to asset strip public land.
Austin Mitchell MP, chair House of Commons Council Housing group

Extracts from the 2005 report introduction

'Investment in Council Housing'
Early Day Motion 368
(EDM 368) in Parliament
Contact your MP and make sure they sign up to support direct investment in council housing! Email your MP and get organisations and individuals to lobby MPs.

Report from our first inquiry in 2004/5
4 page summary		40 page full report

Further information and copies of our first report...

For printed copies of the full report (£10 organisations, free to individual tenants) and further information on the work of the House of Commons Council Housing group contact: Austin Mitchell MP, chair, House of Commons Council Housing group, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. Phone 020 7219 4559.

A discount may be available for bulk orders for tenants reps, councillors and trade unions. Cheques payable to 'DCH'

Download letter from Austin Mitchell MP aimed at tenants reps, councillors and trade unions.

Members of the group
Chair, Austin Mitchell MP,
V.Chair, Paul Holmes MP
Sec, Kelvin Hopkins MP
and...

The Council Housing group works closely with
Defend Council Housing

Press Conference June 15, 2005
The group launched the report at a press conference on June 15 2005. Speakers included: Austin Mitchell MP, Chair of the Commons Council Housing Group; John Allott, National Officer, Amicus; Alan Walter, Defend Council Housing; Cllr Raj Chanda, Lead Member for Housing, Camden Council; Cllr Stephen Flannery, Lead Member for Housing, Southwark Council; Heather Wakefield, National Secretary, UNISON, Paul Holmes MP.