February Discussion Meeting

There is a discussion meeting scheduled for Sunday 9th February at 8pm in Dronfield Contact Club. See details below.

Dronfield Labour Discussion Meeting

Topic: Social Housing in the UK and the Netherlands - is a cooperative model the way forward for UK social housing?

Speaker: Rosie Smith

Time: 8pm to 9.15pm

Date: Sunday 8th February

Venue: Contact Club, Snape Hill Lane, Dronfield, S18 2GJ.

Social Housing in the UK has been under threat for several decades. What was once a mass social programme aimed at providing adequate housing for the general population, has been reduced to an under-funded, part privatised model of housing welfare that is accessible only by the most vulnerable  - and yet many are still falling through the cracks. 

The Netherlands' social housing model is delivered in an entirely different way to social housing in the UK. Tenants associations provide low cost housing that is accessible to a large proportion of the population. Residents are shareholders in the tenants association and have a say in rent setting, and upkeep and improvements to the housing block/estate/street.

Discussion questions:

1. What are the pros and cons of state owned and administered social housing versus autonomous, tenant run social housing models?  

2. Many of us on the left would like to see the Right to Buy stopped to preserve our remaining Council houses, but would this alone solve our social housing problems?

3. What should future Labour housing policy be to ensure a robust housing safety net for all?

Info on future meetings

Upcoming discussion group dates are 8th March and 12th April (second Sunday of every month except August). I am in discussions with the leader of Sheffield TUC to come and speak about 'Sheffield Needs a Payrise' report, and I am hoping an Economics Academic from the University of Sheffield may come to address us on the Green New Deal.

Hope to see you all on Sunday,

Rosie Smith

Dronfield Labour Party Political Education Officer