News from Siân Berry: £1.5 million for grassroots London renter groups

Sian Berry proposed a £1.5 million fund to offer grants to support and advocacy groups that directly help renters who need support when facing rogue landlords, dodgy letting agents and ineffectual local enforcement.

Groups like The London Renters’ Union (LRU), London Tenants Federation, Generation Rent and other specialist campaign groups give practical support for renters, but help isn’t available in every borough.

The proposal would see a funding pot to help these groups expand, to be able to offer their expertise to any renting Londoner who needs it, while maintaining independence from any political group and from City Hall.

Sian Berry says:

The London rent market is like the Wild West. We have a tough time – battling bad landlords who fail to do repairs, letting agents who fiddle rules about fees and all while paying the most expensive rents in the country.

Renters, like me, need someone on their side to help them with unfair evictions, rogue landlords and generally shoddy treatment. Specialist unions and groups are already doing this, but they need help to expand.

Empowering people to get together, have access to support and expertise to take on landlords and letting agents exploiting our already exploitative housing market just makes sense. The Mayor isn’t doing enough to help renters so he should fund the grassroots groups already out there, and already making a real difference.

The six part amendment focused on improving Londoners’ living conditions, their environment and the cost of living in and travelling around our city.

The meeting was broadcast on 29 January 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3IUzELPQyM