Medact Housing & Health London Group joined tenants from across London to protest against poor housing conditions and demolition of homes run by Peabody Trust Housing Association. London Medact Member India Whalley writes about the protest and the work Medact is doing in solidarity with East London Peabody tenants.
Tenants from across London, alongside groups including Medact, London Renters Union, Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) and Unite Community, came together on Thursday 12th of September to demand better living conditions and to refurbish, not demolish, multiple estates run by Peabody Trust – one of the largest housing associations in London.
We gathered alongside tenant campaigners outside Peabody’s head offices in South London to protest against demolition and call for the housing association to address widespread issues with damp, mould and disrepair. In the end the protest resulted in Peabody agreeing to set a meeting to discuss the Lesnes estate demolition with tenants, but with no promises for the Nags Head Estate.
In speeches, tenants shared about the horrors they have been dealing with, for years in some cases, including chronic health impacts. You can read more from them directly in this recent story in MyLondon.
For several months, our London group has been working closely with tenants from the Nags Head Estate in East London to support their demand that Peabody commits to quick repairs and insulation of the residents’ homes.
Medact was first introduced to the Nags Head Estate after members of the tenants association reached out to our Economic Justice Group with reports of vast numbers of local residents suffering from respiratory problems that they associated with mould and damp.
So far, action by Nags Head Tenants Association has led to independent surveyors visiting residents and a Peabody repairs team being based on the estate twice a week. But, it remains vital that Peabody commits to broader structural repairs, including much needed immediate repairs and insulation of tenants’ homes, as well as the implementation of fire safety plans.
As we well-know, issues with poor-quality housing are not confined to these Peabody-run estates. Across the UK, millions of people are living in cold, damp, mouldy and overcrowded homes, which has huge impacts on both the physical and mental health of residents. These conditions can harm lung health, contribute to excess winter deaths, and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, notably among the elderly, frail and disabled, and other people living with chronic health conditions.
Damp can lead to mould growth, which can cause allergic type reactions, the development and worsening of asthma, respiratory infections, coughs, wheezing and shortness of breath. Cold homes can also affect mental wellbeing, including through stress, financial strain, social isolation, and direct effects on mood and sleep.
Policy changes in the UK housing system have meant our homes have turned into commodities and in turn have moved from being sources of good health and stability into sites of sickness affecting our minds, bodies and communities. Poor-quality housing, insecure tenancies and unaffordable rents mean that millions of people are unsafe in their homes.
To tackle this public health crisis, Medact is making several key policy demands:
- build more social homes
- reform Right To Buy
- support a safe and secure private rented sector.
This includes enforcing a Decent Homes Standard in the private rental sector, considering the implementation of licensing schemes for private landlords, introducing rent controls, and abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction orders.
There has been some recent progress for these demands with the Renters Reform Bill, but we remain concerned that implementation of these reforms specified in the bill could result in increased fees being landed on tenants who are already struggling with unaffordable rents.
At Medact we believe a housing system that is just, fair and healthy is possible. But in order to achieve this we need to reclaim homes as sites for health, embedding health justice principles into housing policy. Whilst our London branch continues to work closely with Peabody tenants to support on a local level, we also need urgent political action to respond to the broader public health crisis that health workers continue to witness.
If you’re interested in learning more about Medact’s work on Housing & Health in London, see our housing toolkit or sign up to join our London group’s mailing list.
