Responding to the demands of Bristol renters organised by ACORN and the overall housing crisis facing the city, we were invited by Mayor Marvin Rees to partner with the Council in the delivery of these historic renters forums and help shape local housing policy.
Across several events and for the first time ever, hundreds of private, Council and social tenants from across the city were brought into the Council House to put forward their ideas for tackling the housing crisis. Aside from the adoption of our Ethical Lettings Charter, issues from rent caps to evictions, from construction of more Council housing to protecting the rights of the disabled and survivors of domestic abuse and much more were discussed and debated and policy proposals were thrashed out.
It wasn’t easy and there was much anger in the room but there was also a sense of a growing movement finding its feet. Democracy is about a lot more than voting once every few years. It’s about having an effective voice, the ability to hold politicians to account, to actively impact the policies that affect our lives and these were events where tenant voices were heard loud and clear.
