New research by theCommunist Party hashighlighted the growinghousing crisis in Croydon andthe implications this has forlocal people.

The amount of social housingcurrently available each year is onlysufficient to help one in tenapplicants on Croydon’s housingwaiting list. This means over 9,000households waiting years for adecent home, many ending up insub-standard B&Bs and hostels inthe meantime.

Croydon Council is doing nothingto replace or extend existing socialhousing stock - in the last decade1,378 council homes were sold offbut in 2010 only 10 new houseswere built. The coalitiongovernments cap in housing benefitis estimated to further increasedemand by at least 550 householdsin 2012/13 as tenants in innerLondon seek out the relativelycheaper rents in Croydon.

Communist candidate forCroydon North Ben Stevenson said,

"I think this is a shocking indictmentof Britain’s capitalist society. Britainhas the seventh largest economy inthe world. We can clearly afford tobuild decent homes for all who needthem. Instead, we are failing thoseleast able to defend themselves.BME applicants make up 65 per centof those on the housing register;and in six out of Croydon North’seight wards, BME people make upmore than half of the population.Disturbingly, the total number ofhomeless people in temporaryaccommodation has risen from 75 inMarch 2007 to 1,749 in March2012."

Those renting from privatelandlords are no better off thantheir counterparts in social housing.According to the Building ResearchEstablishment, 37% of privatehousing in the borough fails thedecent home standard. Whilstmedian rent per month for a twobedroom flat or house is £900 permonth. This requires a nethousehold income of £31,000 peryear for the median rent to equal

35% of income (the recommendedaffordable maximum). While to buya 2-bed house at the average priceof c.£208,000 would take an annualsalary of over £69,000 – that’snearly three times higher than theaverage family.

Only the Communist Party putsforwards a programme of policiesdesigned to solve the housing crisisin Croydon:H a national programme of councilhouse buildingH reverse the cuts in housingbenefitsH end the selling off of councilhousingH compulsory requisition - withoutcompensation - of long-term emptypropertiesH introduce rent controls in theprivate sector

HVOTECOMMUNIST

END CROYDON’SHOUSING CRISIS

CROYDON COMMUNISTS Croydon North

by-election specialnewsletter

24-28 November 2012

VOTE COMMUNISTSTOP THEINCINERATOR

Croydon, Sutton, Merton andKingston councils have joinedforces to create the "SouthLondon Waste Plan" whichincludes building an enormousincinerator on BeddingtonLane. This new plant will takein waste from across South

London and beyond.

When it's completed it will berun for profit by privatecontractor Viridor, with theinitial contract estimated at tobe worth at least £1 billion.This will severely impact onpeople's health across CroydonNorth. Communists in Croydonhave supported the Stop theSouth London Incineratorcampaign since its launch andparticipated in multiple lobbiesof the council since July thisyear. For more information andto sign the petition visitwww.stoptheincinerator.co.uk

Promoted by Dr MartinGraham, on behalf of BenStevenson both at andprinted by CommunistParty, Ruskin House, 23Coombe Road, CroydonCR0 1BD

Despite the news thatCroydon A&E will notface immediate closure,

the cuts in health servicesacross South London is going toplace a massive amount ofadditional pressure on CroydonUniversity Hospital (formerlyknown as Mayday Hospital).

Even without these cuts thecoalition government is trying to flogour NHS through the back-door.Since they’ve done such a lousyjob – running a terrible servicewhilst making eye-watering profits inthe rail and communicationsindustry – Virgin have actually beenemployed to run CroydonUniversity Hospital since thenbeginning of this year.

Less than a year into the contracta damming report points to “arecent, sudden and sustained failure

in performance.” And thegovernment claims that privatecompanies know how to run apublic service better than workersand members of our community?

After thirty years ofprivatisation – by both Tory andNew Labour – isn’t about time thatthey accepted the blinding obvious?

You can’t run a public service forprofit without it costing more to thetaxpayer and more to service usersand without a decline in quality andaccess to the service.

Despite their actual record, everyEstablishment candidate will pledgeto defend the NHS when seekingelection.

Vote for someone who actuallyhas a record of fighting NHSprivatisation and against cutsand closures?

Capitalism: Wecan’t afford it!The coalition government – andNew Labour – seem toforgotten how Britain endedwith such a massive deficit inthe first place.

More than £1,350,000,000,000 ofour money has been spent to bailout shareholders, the banks andmoney markets. The cost? £1,350billion in shares, bonds, loans andguarantees.

Just half of that would pay for:H 400 new hospitals ANDH 3 million new homes ANDH 500 new schools ANDH Electrification of all main rail linesANDH A national water grid ANDH Solar panels on all public buildingsANDH 5 million new jobs andapprenticeships

The cut’s don’t work

Only the Communist Party putsworkers, pensioners, theunemployed, single parents and thedisabled FIRST.

Ahead of big business profits, therich, privatisation and war.

That is why we OPPOSE all cutsin public spending, services, jobs,pensions and benefits.

Britain is one of the richestcountries in the world. But one-tenth of the population own morethan half that wealth.

A Wealth Tax on the super-richwould fund all the investment weneed in public services, industry,housing, public transport and theenvironment.

We can afford first-class publicservices, pensions and benefitsby fair taxes on the rich and bigbusiness profits.

SAVE OURNHS

SPEAK UPON PAY &PENSIONSSTEVE!New Labour candidate SteveReed has gained a welldeserved reputation fordodging the issues and refusingto make any realcommitments during thiscampaign and true to form hestill has not signed the publicservice workers pledge.

The union representingthousands of Croydon workerswants candidates to pledge supportfor the union’s campaign againstpublic service job cuts and for analternative to economicallydamaging austerity policies; for fairpay and a living wage for workersand fair pensions for all.

The union wants candidates tostand up for publicly deliveredwelfare services and programmesbased on dignity and support forthose unable to work.

Steve Reed remains silent onthese issues and he is yet to backthe demand for an end to unpaidwork experience placements whichexploit young jobless people, anddiscourage employers from genuinejob creation and paying fair wages.

See the pledge at www.pcs.org.ukFor more information on Steve Reed’srecord visit the Lambeth Save OurServices websitewww.lambethsaveourservices.org

Ben Stevenson is a workingclass fighter, active in localworking class politics sincemoving to Croydon from hisnative Birmingham.

Active in his union Unite anddeeply involved in local campaigningthrough the Croydon Save OurSchools Campaign and the CroydonTrades Union Council he hasexperience working in the peacemovement locally and nationallyserving on the General Council ofthe Woodcraft Folk and as the Chairof Students Against War in hisnative Birmingham.

Ben Stevenson says: “We’ve had

two years of coalition cuts to jobs,pensions and public services whichhas only further weakened Britain’seconomy. And worse is to come as80% of the cuts planned have yet totake effect.

“Working people are sick of slimyprofessional politicians who aremore interested in toadying up tothe super-rich and spivs in the city,and feathering their own nests,rather than representing the interestsof the people they were elected toserve.

“We deserve better than thisgovernment or the lacklustre ‘Tory-lite’ response being offered by theMilliband-Balls ‘purple’ Labour planof exactly the same policies draggedout over a couple more years.“There’s a fight for our futurecoming – and as always Communistswill be there to provide a strongvoice for pensioners, workers, theunemployed and young people inCroydon and the rest of Britain.”

Communist Party the Party for workers and their families

o I want more information about Communist Party policieso I want to help with the election campaign in Croydon

name

address

postcode

phone e mail

Return to CP, Ruskin House, 23 Coombe Road, Croydon CR0 1BD

FOLLOW THE COMMUNISTCAMPAIGN IN CROYDON NORTHOnline: Croydoncommunists.org.uke-mail: croydon@communist-party.org.uk twitter: @CROcommunistsPhone: 02086861659

BEN STEVENSON YOURCOMMUNIST CANDIDATE