West London Citizens

Make a lasting difference to affordable housing in our borough!

In the lead up to the local elections in May, West London Citizens Housing Accountability Assembly was held on on Wednesday 18 April at Twyford High School. The assembly brought together hundreds of local citizens of all ages, backgrounds and religious affiliations (or none) to engage with the two main party leaders, including Cllr Julian Bell the council leader.

Specifically, we asked for the following: 

• Public commitment from Ealing Council to support London Living Rent in new developments

• Public commitment from Ealing Council to tackling rogue landlords 

     ○ by running housing rights workshops 

     ○ supporting tenants who “Name and shame” rogue landlords 

• Public commitment from Ealing council for Community Land Trusts (CLT) - specifically to include Old Oak Common and Southall Gas works as potential sites for CLT.

What is an Accountability Assembly?

An Accountability Assembly is a means of delivering active citizenship and public engagement with key decision makers in government.  It is attended by delegates from each member institution of a citizens alliance. Here power-holders are asked to commit to action and/or held to account for previous commitments. 

Isn’t this just another political protest?

Citizens Assemblies are not a political hustings. There is.a strict code of conduct during proceedings - for example no heckling or jeering will be tolerated. The agenda is controlled and the political leaders attending will have been briefed in advance. Overall, assemblies are run on the principles of organised engagement with decision-makers, clear asks, courtesy and broad based citizen representation. 

How does housing affordability affect St Barnabas and our local community?

A number of families in our congregation experience significant difficulties with housing. These include:

• battling to pay escalating rents despite holding down well-paid employment, 

• an inability to save for a large deposit on a home due to the high cost of living in London

• significant challenges in securing a new lease due to being reliant, in part, on housing benefit

• facing the threat of eviction due to mishaps in the payment of housing benefit

You can read about the event here.