CROYDON COMMUNISTS Croydon North by-election special newsletter 24-28 November 2012
END CROYDON’S HOUSING CRISIS
New research by the Communist Party has highlighted the growing housing crisis in Croydon and the implications this has for local people. The amount of social housing currently available each year is only sufficient to help one in ten applicants on Croydon’s housing waiting list. This means over 9,000 households waiting years for a decent home, many ending up in sub-standard B&Bs and hostels in the meantime. Croydon Council is doing nothing to replace or extend existing social housing stock - in the last decade 1,378 council homes were sold off but in 2010 only 10 new houses were built. The coalition governments cap in housing benefit is estimated to further increase demand by at least 550 households in 2012/13 as tenants in inner London seek out the relatively cheaper rents in Croydon. Communist candidate for Croydon North Ben Stevenson said,
"I think this is a shocking indictment of Britain’s capitalist society. Britain has the seventh largest economy in the world. We can clearly afford to build decent homes for all who need them. Instead, we are failing those least able to defend themselves. BME applicants make up 65 per cent of those on the housing register; and in six out of Croydon North’s eight wards, BME people make up more than half of the population. Disturbingly, the total number of homeless people in temporary accommodation has risen from 75 in March 2007 to 1,749 in March 2012." Those renting from private landlords are no better off than their counterparts in social housing. According to the Building Research Establishment, 37% of private housing in the borough fails the decent home standard. Whilst median rent per month for a two bedroom flat or house is £900 per month. This requires a net household income of £31,000 per year for the median rent to equal
35% of income (the recommended affordable maximum). While to buy a 2-bed house at the average price of c.£208,000 would take an annual salary of over £69,000 – that’s nearly three times higher than the average family.
Only the Communist Party puts forwards a programme of policies designed to solve the housing crisis in Croydon: H a national programme of council house building H reverse the cuts in housing benefits H end the selling off of council housing H compulsory requisition - without compensation - of long-term empty properties H introduce rent controls in the private sector
HVOTE
COMMUNIST
VOTE COMMUNIST STOP THE INCINERATOR Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston councils have joined forces to create the "South London Waste Plan" which includes building an enormous incinerator on Beddington Lane. This new plant will take in waste from across South London and beyond.
Promoted by Dr Martin Graham, on behalf of Ben Stevenson both at and printed by Communist Party, Ruskin House, 23 Coombe Road, Croydon CR0 1BD
When it's completed it will be run for proďŹ t by private contractor Viridor, with the initial contract estimated at to be worth at least ÂŁ1 billion. This will severely impact on people's health across Croydon North. Communists in Croydon have supported the Stop the South London Incinerator campaign since its launch and participated in multiple lobbies of the council since July this year. For more information and to sign the petition visit www.stoptheincinerator.co.uk
SAVE OUR NHS
Capitalism: We can’t afford it! The coalition government – and New Labour – seem to forgotten how Britain ended with such a massive deficit in the first place. More than £1,350,000,000,000 of our money has been spent to bail out shareholders, the banks and money markets. The cost? £1,350 billion in shares, bonds, loans and guarantees. Just half of that would pay for: H 400 new hospitals AND H 3 million new homes AND H 500 new schools AND H Electrification of all main rail lines AND H A national water grid AND H Solar panels on all public buildings AND H 5 million new jobs and apprenticeships The cut’s don’t work
D
espite the news that Croydon A&E will not face immediate closure, the cuts in health services across South London is going to place a massive amount of additional pressure on Croydon University Hospital (formerly known as Mayday Hospital). Even without these cuts the coalition government is trying to flog our NHS through the back-door. Since they’ve done such a lousy job – running a terrible service whilst making eye-watering profits in the rail and communications industry – Virgin have actually been employed to run Croydon University Hospital since then beginning of this year. Less than a year into the contract a damming report points to “a recent, sudden and sustained failure
in performance.” And the government claims that private companies know how to run a public service better than workers and members of our community? After thirty years of privatisation – by both Tory and New Labour – isn’t about time that they accepted the blinding obvious? You can’t run a public service for profit without it costing more to the taxpayer and more to service users and without a decline in quality and access to the service. Despite their actual record, every Establishment candidate will pledge to defend the NHS when seeking election. Vote for someone who actually has a record of fighting NHS privatisation and against cuts and closures?
Only the Communist Party puts workers, pensioners, the unemployed, single parents and the disabled FIRST. Ahead of big business profits, the rich, privatisation and war. That is why we OPPOSE all cuts in public spending, services, jobs, pensions and benefits. Britain is one of the richest countries in the world. But onetenth of the population own more than half that wealth. A Wealth Tax on the super-rich would fund all the investment we need in public services, industry, housing, public transport and the environment. We can afford first-class public services, pensions and benefits by fair taxes on the rich and big business profits.
SPEAK UP ON PAY & PENSIONS STEVE! New Labour candidate Steve Reed has gained a well deserved reputation for dodging the issues and refusing to make any real commitments during this campaign and true to form he still has not signed the public service workers pledge. The union representing thousands of Croydon workers wants candidates to pledge support for the union’s campaign against public service job cuts and for an alternative to economically damaging austerity policies; for fair pay and a living wage for workers and fair pensions for all. The union wants candidates to stand up for publicly delivered welfare services and programmes based on dignity and support for those unable to work. Steve Reed remains silent on these issues and he is yet to back the demand for an end to unpaid work experience placements which exploit young jobless people, and discourage employers from genuine job creation and paying fair wages. See the pledge at www.pcs.org.uk For more information on Steve Reed’s record visit the Lambeth Save Our Services website www.lambethsaveourservices.org FOLLOW THE COMMUNIST CAMPAIGN IN CROYDON NORTH Online: Croydoncommunists.org.uk e-mail: croydon@communistparty.org.uk twitter: @CROcommunists Phone: 02086861659
BEN STEVENSON YOUR COMMUNIST CANDIDATE
Ben Stevenson is a working class fighter, active in local working class politics since moving to Croydon from his native Birmingham. Active in his union Unite and deeply involved in local campaigning through the Croydon Save Our Schools Campaign and the Croydon Trades Union Council he has experience working in the peace movement locally and nationally serving on the General Council of the Woodcraft Folk and as the Chair of Students Against War in his native Birmingham. Ben Stevenson says: “We’ve had
two years of coalition cuts to jobs, pensions and public services which has only further weakened Britain’s economy. And worse is to come as 80% of the cuts planned have yet to take effect. “Working people are sick of slimy professional politicians who are more interested in toadying up to the super-rich and spivs in the city, and feathering their own nests, rather than representing the interests of the people they were elected to serve. “We deserve better than this government or the lacklustre ‘Torylite’ response being offered by the Milliband-Balls ‘purple’ Labour plan of exactly the same policies dragged out over a couple more years. “There’s a fight for our future coming – and as always Communists will be there to provide a strong voice for pensioners, workers, the unemployed and young people in Croydon and the rest of Britain.”
Communist Party the Party for workers and their families
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