The Inspiring Council House Occupation in Stratford, London E15

On Sunday September 21, 2014, a group of 29 single mothers in Stratford in east London -- the Focus E15 Mothers, who were recently evicted from a hostel in which they were staying, which was closed down because of budget cuts -- occupied a small block of four flats on the Carpenters Estate to highlight the shortage of affordable housing in Stratford (and London as a whole) and to call for affordable housing to be provided, to prevent the council moving them to other parts of the country, even though some of them are from families who have lived in the area for generations.
On Friday September 26, I cycled to the Carpenters Estate to show my support for the campaigners, because I believe it is absolutely intolerable that, in central government, and at a local government level, the provision of housing for Londoners has become so skewed, and the market so overheated, that only the wealthy can afford to buy homes, more and more lower-paid people are, for the first time ever, finding that they are starting to find it impossible to continue living in London, and others -- like those unfortunate enough to find themselves unemployed -- are being driven out of London altogether.

The current housing bubble has been created by banks and politicians, who have persistently refused to impose restraints on house price inflation, and, in addition, have refused to impose any control over private landlords, with the result that a couple on the average income -- in others words, two people each earning around £27,500 -- are hard-pressed to find a property they can afford anywhere in London, while those on the median income -- around £14,000 a year -- can no longer even dream of it.

I spent an enjoyable few hours on the Carpenters Estate with the Focus E15 Mothers and supporters from all over London, and I wish them continued success in promoting genuinely affordable housing for all in London. As Jasmin Stone, one of the campaigners, wrote in an article for the Guardian last week, "Housing … is a basic human right, not a privilege. This is why we are demanding social housing, not social cleansing. In addition, rent caps to limit out-of-control rents, mansion taxes and higher stamp duty for the wealthiest would be simple reforms that have a dramatic impact on housing. Simply taking action to restrict the privileges of the 1% could result in a relatively fairer housing situation in London."

For Jasmin Stone's article, see: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/23/why-occupyi...
For the Focus E15 Mothers, see: www.facebook.com/pages/Focus-E15-Mothers/602860129757343
For the E15 Open House Occupation, see: www.facebook.com/pages/E15-Open-House-Occupation/16308383...
For my articles about the housing crisis, see: www.andyworthington.co.uk/tag/housing-crisis/
And: www.andyworthington.co.uk/tag/housing-crisis/page/2/
And: www.andyworthington.co.uk/tag/housing-crisis/page/3/
For my most interesting photos, see: www.flickriver.com/photos/andyworthington/popular-interes...