Give mayors power over rent controls, says national alliance of housing activists

Immediate release

Housing activists from across the country have joined together to call for mayors to be given powers over rent controls.

Members of 20 housing charities, unions and local activists groups will today [Tuesday 24 June] be outside the Housing 2025 conference, in Manchester, to protest the heavy presence of private developers at the event.

The alliance has written to the mayors of seven combined authorities across the country, who will be attending the event, to meet them outside and talk about the problems local people are facing with private rents.

The alliance is made up of national organisations, including the New Economics Foundation (NEF), ACORN, and Medact, and as well as local groups, including Greater Manchester Tenants Union and the London Renters Union, Food and Solidarity in Newcastle and Big Power for Little London in Maltby, Rotherham.

The alliance has drawn attention to the issue of rent affordability in the constituencies of seven mayors, with the average private renter in England paying 32.4% of their income to their landlord each month. In Greater Manchester, this figure is 31.4%, rising to 45.6% in Manchester itself. In London, rents are costing tenants on average between 57.2% and 39.8% of their income. In South Yorkshire, tenants are paying on average 22% of their income on rent, rising to 26.9% in Sheffield.

Isaac Rose, organiser at the Greater Manchester Tenants Union, said:

“Each month we see countless cases of people’s lives being turned upside down by rent rises they can’t afford. Families pushed away from their neighbourhoods, parents forced to take up second jobs to feed their kids, individuals forced into homelessness when they can’t pay.

“The ability of landlords to raise rents year on year is the crisis, and that’s why we are calling on the government to bring in rent control legislation to take real action to address a spiralling situation.”

The group has said that the English Devolution Bill, which is due before parliament later this year and will establish new powers for local government, should include devolved powers for mayors to implement rent controls in their areas. They are calling on Mayors to back this plan and petition the central government for these powers.

Dr. Abi O’Connor, researcher at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), said:

“Private rents have been allowed to spiral out of control by successive national governments who have prioritised the needs of landlords and private developers over renters. But this is also a local issue, with certain areas of England facing particularly acute housing affordability crises, influenced by a variety of local factors. Mayors are best placed to understand the housing needs of local people — the national government should give them the powers they need to address the housing crisis in their areas.”

Alongside rent controls the alliance are also calling for national government to commit to a programme of council housebuilding to provide the accessible, council housing the country needs to combat the housing crisis.

ENDS

Notes

The Housing 2025 conference takes place at Manchester Central, Convention Complex, on Tuesday 24 June.

Figures on rent affordability in different combined authority regions comes from the Office for National Statistics’ Private Rental affordability, England and Wales, 2023

Full list of alliance organisations: New Economics Foundation, ACORN, Greater Manchester Tenants Union, London Renters Union, Disability Rights UK, Medact, Inclusion London, Harrow Law Centre, Food and Solidarity, Black South West Network, Caring in Bristol, Defend Council Housing, Generation Rent, Homes for All UK, Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth, Fairer Housing, Big Power for Little London, Social Housing Action Campaign, Runnymede, POMOC, Housing Action Teesside.