Bob Ward is a Leeds resident and longtime friend and supporter of the #SaveOurHomesLS26 campaign. On Wednesday, Bob gave a passionate deputation to Leeds City Council members, calling on them to act with sense and compassion, to stop the ongoing evictions, and to purchase the houses to add to Leeds’ woefully inadequate housing stock. “It is social injustice writ large in the way in which ordinary good people can have their lives completely overturned by the pursuit of financial gain”, he said. During the deputation, Bob was accompanied by Robert Walker, Hazell Field, and Linda Elsworth – neighbours who are desperately clinging on to their homes and their community.

The Yorkshire Evening Post covered the deputation in an online article today, and below we have summarised some key highlights.

Bob stated that:

• Pemberstone claim the houses are dangerously deteriorating, yet they have not published studies to sufficiently evidence this apparently “rapid” deterioration over time. Independent inspections in June 2021 organised by the campaign have failed to locate some of the defects previously reported by Pemberstone – raising questions about their existence in the first place. ‘Was this the “Miracle of Oulton”? Cracked posts that healed themselves?’ Bob asked. There are clear inconsistencies here.

• Residents are now being evicted and the Council is assisting some to secure temporary accommodation in order to support the vacation of the entire estate. Promises have been made to residents by the Council that, when the new estate is built, many evicted residents will have the chance to move back into some of the “affordable” properties on a local lettings policy. Even if this were true, Bob pointed out, it will take a minimum of three years to get to that point: “Not a prospect to be relished by residents in their seventies, thrown into a scarce, scattered, expensive and discriminatory housing market“.

• Bob also pointed out that, with this mass eviction going ahead, it is worsening the already desperate local social housing situation. If the council purchased the estate, then everybody wins as “70 houses would be added to the council’s stock”.

Bob’s closed his deputation with a powerful request…

Lord Mayor and elected members – please look these proud people in the eye and try to imagine, as you return to your secure homes this evening, how they must be feeling.

These people are NOT pieces on a chessboard.

They are dignified human beings and deserve and need your support, and need it urgently.

This is a matter of conscience and justice.

Lord Mayor and elected members

Stop using the “fig leaf” of Section 21

Do the right thing.

Stop any further evictions.

Put yourselves on the right side of history.

Thank you for your time and kind attention.

His speech was followed by a standing ovation from many members of Leeds City Council. Councillors then voted to refer it up to senior officials and the Council will return to look at the proposals at a later date. Though, as Bob said in the Yorkshire Evening Post today, “it’s probably the equivalent of being kicked into the long grass”.

You can watch the webcast of Bob’s speech here. Fast forward to around 28 minutes in:
https://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=111&MId=11486&Ver=4

Thank you Bob, for your continued support of our campaign. We only hope they listen!

On 17 March, ITV’s Tonight programme covered the private rental housing crisis in Britain today. The end of the episode featured Cindy, John, Sue, and Linda, who shared their experiences and fears about being evicted from Wordsworth Drive and Sugar Hill Close and having nowhere to go. As John said, the landlord has made a lot of money from us over the years – and now everyone is being forced out of their beloved homes with nowhere to go… all so Pemberstone can make even more.

The show puts rental challenges in a national context, and the outlook is depressing. Fewer than 6,000 social houses were built last year, which is nowhere near enough to absorb the 1 million+ people on council housing waiting lists, or the 250,000 currently in emergency accommodation. Presenter Daniel Hewitt also highlighted that competition for private rents has increased by 94% in the last year – and with hikes in private rental rates, the bulk of that competition will be concentrated around the smattering of “affordable” rented properties. That’s exactly what we’ve experienced, as residents have been turned away time and again for rental viewings (let alone applications!) because estate agents have already had “too much interest”.

Some of our neighbours have moved out of the Oulton estate already but, just like other people featured in the programme, they are now paying rent rates that are unaffordable and unsustainable over the longer term. As Linda explained – “It’s just as if the rug has been fulled from under your feet, there’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no help’s coming”.

You can watch this show on ITV hub for three more weeks: https://www.itv.com/hub/tonight/1a9757a0123

Tonight

Losing Your Home – The True Cost – Tonight

Series 24 – Episode 9– Millions in the UK rent privately, but with a growing cost-of-living crisis emerging, there are warnings that a new wave of evictions could be imminent.

The BBC have an ongoing documentary series exploring issues faced by people across the country. One of their latest episodes, aired last night, is about our community and the fight to save our homes. BBC Producer Elliott and his team spent several months filming Cindy and John, Linda, Mavis and Barry, and other neighbours on our estate as they approached, and overstayed, eviction day.

It’s available to watch on BBC iPlayer now – please watch and share. The BBC team have done a wonderful job in showing our close-knit community and the stress the whole eviction process has created for residents (thank you Elliott!). There are also beautiful birds-eye shots of the estate and residents’ homes… this footage will be some of the last that captures our historic two streets before they are demolished.

Watch on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00157j4/we-are-england-a-place-called-home-fighting-for-our-homes-leeds

“We Are England

A Place Called Home: Fighting for Our Homes – Leeds

Neighbours on a Leeds housing estate fight to keep their community together when faced with eviction from their privately rented homes, that have stood since the 1950s. 

The residents’ battle highlights the strength of community in working-class neighbourhoods and speaks to issues of gentrification seen across the country. This film follows several residents on the estate in the weeks leading up to their eviction, as they desperately fight for more time and for their community to stay together.”