COUNCIL TENANTS' CHARTER (Hansard, 25 June 1969)

§ Mr. Robert Edwards (Bilston)
I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to establish a charter of rights for council tenants.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I hope that hon. Members leaving the Chamber will do so quietly.

§ Mr. Edwards
Far be it for me, Mr. Speaker, unduly to take time from the debate which is to follow, but I have a duty to perform on behalf of thousands of my constituents and, I believe, hundreds of thousands of the 4 million council house tenants who are interested in participating more actively and wholeheartedly in local affairs.
My Bill had its genesis in my constituency where following the reform of local government throughout the West Midlands, 12 local authorities were taken over by five new county boroughs. Prior to that reform, there were in my constituency two urban councils and one borough council. These three councils have now been taken over by four county boroughs—talk of the Isle of Man: my constituency is in four county boroughs now, and it seems that I need four legs.
As a result of local government reform, the control of affairs by our local authorities has, in my view, become more and more remote. This is particularly true of the huge council estates which blanket the country. Many new problems are arising for those 4 million council house tenants which are not being adequately dealt with, and many hundreds of thousands of these tenants are yearning for an opportunity to participate in their own affairs and to have some control over their environment.
The purpose of the Bill is to create new machinery to make this participation possible. As I say, there are already 4 million council house tenants and their numbers are being added to each year by a further 200,000. We have no machinery at present to deal with their problems and with the new proposals for the establishment of regional government the problem of remote control and the absence of public accountability will become more and more acute.
1519 I therefore propose, first, to establish a small rent tribunal made up of four people nominated by the Minister, with an independent chairman. The purpose of the tribunal would not be the same as that of the rent tribunals. It would not have power to fix rents or to guarantee tenure. It would merely be a kind of forum in which council house tenants and ratepayers could consider every proposed increase in council rents. The local council would come before the tribunal, it would open its books, and it would try to justify the increase which it was proposing.
Only last Saturday I talked with a constituent, aged 73, who has lived in a council house for 40 years. He has made that council house his castle. He has spent his spare time making it a place fit for him to bring up his children. His rent started at 8s. 6d., and it is now £3 8s. By payment of rent, he has bought every stick and brick of that house, and he does not know why he should be faced with such a high rent.
There may be valid reasons for increased rent, but people are entitled to know the reasons and to challenge these assessments. The tribunal, having heard the evidence, would report to the Minister, who would make the final decision.
The other piece of new machinery which I propose is that, in every county borough area, there should be established a small advisory committee made up of council tenants, ratepayers, home owners and political and social organisations, to deal with the many problems that are affecting our large estates. It would be just an advisory council. It would not interfere with the statutory legal rights of any local authority. It would carry on a continuous dialogue with the housing committee in dealing with the problems of the large council estates.
The large council estates have many problems. There is the problem of maintenance and repair. Many of our great council estates are degenerating into new slums. They are neglected because of lack of personal control by the local council over the affairs of the tenants. 1520 There are problems of schools, lack of telephones, lack of playing fields and other amenities. There is the question of air pollution, and of noise and dust from local factories.
Problems such as these are turning the lives of tenants in many housing estates into a nightmare. Unless something is done about it, and tenants are brought into active participation in the control of these estates in a democratic way, there will be increasing trouble. Already there is a rising tide of discontent sweeping through the council house estates. This is clearly manifested by the development of tenants' associations and ratepayers' associations. The democratic machinery of local government is not adequate to deal with the new problems which are affecting our people.
Local authorities under Conservative control have been selling council houses in many of these huge estates, and this creates new problems, too. It means that we have privileged tenants next door to underprivileged tenants. The new owner of a council house has power to build a garage and to change the appearance or structure of his house, while the person next door has no such privileges. This is creating unnecessary conflicts.
I hope that I may be given leave to bring in my modest Bill today so that we may, in Committee, discuss the important problems that are arising out of the large-scale changes in local government.