“Help to Buy”: promoting unsustainable debt

Download a PDF of this here helptobuy The coalition government has brought forward ‘Help to Buy’ in an attempt to … More

‘Fixed term’ tenancies: unintended consequences

‘Fixed term’ tenancies: unintended consequences Last Wednesday I was on BBC Radio with Brian Mattock, Deputy Leader of Swindon Council, … More

Coalition government steps up its attack on ‘social housing’

According to ‘Inside Housing’, the Housing Minister has revealed that landlords taking part in the new ￡3.3 billion round of … More

Swindon Council’s “Tenancy Strategy” proposals should be rejected

Since the beginning of the 1980’s Council tenants have, in law, had a ‘secure tenancy’. This gives us real security. … More

The stigmatisation of benefits recipients and the reality – who receives Housing benefit?

The stigmatisation of benefit recipients, which this government, and previous ones, have promoted, was reflected in George Osborne’s comments about … More

Financial Times Austerity Audit

“Cuts in welfare payments will hit the local economies of northern towns and cities as much as five times as … More

Tell Labour to get off the fence and commit to repealing the ‘bedroom tax’

According to a report (Anne Black, NEC member) from the Labour Party’s national executive committee on March 19th, Ed Balls … More

Labour’s shameful abstention allows the government to force Jobseekers to work for their Job Seekers Allowance

Labour’s abstention on the government’s emergency legislation, the Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) was a shameful episode even by the … More

Pushed from pillar to post?

This is a letter to the Swindon Advertiser in response to comments by North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson. Justin Tomlinson … More

Labour caught napping over bedroom tax

This article was published in the Morning Star Features page on February 21st. Labour has been tackling the government over … More