You probably haven’t heard of Pay To Stay. It’s part of the Housing & Planning Bill and of all the nasty, divisive policies the Tories have come up with this is one of the nastiest. If you have heard of it, you probably think it’s only going to affect a tiny number of ‘rich’ tenants. And those ‘rich’ tenants probably shouldn’t be living in social housing in the first place, should they? People like the late Bob Crow, like former MP Frank Dobson – oh, and people like nurses, teachers, tube and train drivers, social workers, electricians, carpenters, administrators, lorry drivers, cab drivers, paramedics, probation officers, opticians, police and prison officers – ordinary working families, in fact.
If your household income is more than £30,000 per year, then the social rent will increase to the market rent. In Bristol, this means from £440 per month to £845 – an increase of £4,860 p.a; in Brighton, from £480 to £1,220, £8,880 p.a more. And in London where the income level is set at £40,000, from £520 p.m to £2,200, £19,760 p.a more. Because household income will be based on gross earnings (including child benefit and child tax credits), a couple earning the London Living Wage will be hit. As will some housing benefit recipients.
And pensioners on fixed incomes are not excluded.
Rich? No. In work? Yes. Trade unionist? Probably. Public sector worker? Probably. Hard working family? Definitely!
The cuts to tax credits (an average loss of £1,300 p.a) pale into insignificance compared to Pay To Stay’s potential loss of a staggering £20,000 p.a!
There’ll be no escape into the private sector – the rent will be the same. Right To Buy? But, like market rents, market house prices are out of reach, even with discounts. You need to earn £77,000 to buy in London. For many, the only option will be to leave the city. Or go on the dole.
All sense of community will disappear as the only social renters will be those scrapping by on benefits. Only the rich and childless will be able to live in our great cities, especially London.
One of the factors fuelling soaring market rents is Right To Buy. More than a third of RTB properties in London are now private rentals, let by room, not by house/flat. £200 p.w per room is normal – a slumlord can rake in £800+ p.w for a 3 bed. Homes built for families are being turned into multi-occupied, childless, unrepaired slums.
Policies like the bedroom tax and benefit cap have already led to the beginning of social cleansing in our cities. Pay To Stay, the abolition of secure tenancies and s106 ‘affordable’ rentals, the forced sale of ‘high value’ council properties and cuts to housing benefit, will finish the job.
Council housing is one of the pillars of the welfare state. Along with Poverty, Disease, Ignorance and Idleness, Squalor is back.
(written for Labour Briefing www.labourbriefing.org)
18 November 2015
Joan Twelves 
I work in housing and am also a housing association tenant. Struggling paying social rent. Where do these Tory b*****s think people who live and provide a service in these cities are going to live? It will be back to Victorian days with families sharing houses and existing in one room!!!
I am very scared for my and my families future. I am 8 years away from retirement have one teenage child at home and grandchildren and am feeling there is nothing left for us here but where can we go??
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I agree with it maybe the amount you earn per home needs to change but yes all for it why should one family or even a single man pay all that rent but someone down the road pays half I’m all for looking after your own family with your own money
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Clear, excellent & very scary post Joan, thank you.
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Is this a f***ing joke? So basically, if I’m on £30,000 a year, I cannot live in social any longer? Just because one is on such a salary, that doesn’t mean that one is rich! Does this government have any idea of how difficult it is to get affordable housing? Obviously not and do not care. And where am I and others in my position supposed to go. The only options are to either move out of London, which I’m not willing to do or share in order to afford living accommodation, which I’m also not willing to do, so what other options are there? I can honestly predict a riot!
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Why do we have to suffer because the government sold off all there council housing
And people are coming from abroad and getting housed.
I think if you come from abroad you should not be housed just because you have children.
You should find private rent and pay rents yourself.
That is not a racist comment.
Come yes but make sure you can afford the rents.
This is why things are going bad for British people of all back grounds and cultures.
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Its not just a case of the government selling off council property….it’s the council’s who allo=-wed social housing tenants to purchase their homes however….with the money that they generated through selling they were not permitted by government to use that same money to put towards rebuilding new social housing hence the shortage of social housing. The greedy developers who have the government on their payroll have to agree to provide a percentage of “affordable housing” however that is a farce as their idea of “affordable rent” is at least £250 a week ie. £1000 a month just for a two bedroom – that £1000 is mortgage money but most people are not able to even get a mortgage.
I agree that local authorities should not have the responsibility of rehousing immigrants into social housing before that of a British citizen who has been waiting years and just the same way that they are eager to advise and place a citizen into private property they should do that with those who are new entrants into the UK and in new I’m talking about the last 5 years.
This stinking government is intent on extinguishing anything that benefits people on low wages and/or in receipt of benefits and if we don’t keep on our toes everything will be taken from us. They use various tactics to distract people i.e. endless media reporting on invading and bombing another country whilst at the same time the snakes are drawing up plans to put social housing into the grave as well as demolishing the NHS and the ambulance services. We can’t afford to sleep too lightly with these abominations running the country like wild dogs.
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Rioting is not the answer as they will either ignore it or blame some leftwing subversive elements.
We, the normal folk, need a more effective method of civil disobedience. Something that will inconvenience and annoy the government- but gain public support.
Something like flashmobbing tory events? Silent protests, a collective backturning on the prime minister, walking out on meetings? I am just thinking aloud, but what ever we do it must be constant and unrelenting and we need to broadcast it ourselves as the rightwing media (and now the BBC as they have a Murdoch plant as the head of news and current affairs) will be reluctant to report anything…something needs to start.
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You will also be screwed if you are on benefits for whatever reason, under 35 and single without kids. You WILL be evicted when the social rate changes to the private rate. Please check out the petition and the link. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/113864
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