Renters' Rights Bill
ACORN, along with other organisations in the Renters Reform Coalition, has been campaigning to make the Renters' Rights Bill, and the Renters' Reform Bill under the previous Government, as transformative and positive for England's 12 million renters as possible. We have been working within the coalition to produce a blueprint for the legislation, which is full of policies we think are practical, winnable and will make a big difference to renters' lives. Read the renters' blueprint for reform here.
The Bill was introduced to Parliament in Summer 2024. Check back soon for updates.
ACORN General Election 2024 demands
Ahead of the 2024 General Election, ACORN focussed on 4 areas, both looking to national parties to deliver the changes we need, but also calling on local candidates to commit to fighting for these areas if they were elected.
Our 4 key areas; housing, transport, bailiffs and council tax; are all issues our members have been campaigning on locally and are of high importance to our communities.
You can find full details of our policy positions on our election web page.
Retrofit Policy
Retrofitting will be a key part of fighting the climate crisis and ensuring our homes are not leaking energy, and are comfortable and healthy to live in.
As a community union representing low and middle income people, ACORN understands the need to retrofit our country's homes, not just to tackle the climate crisis but to alleviate fuel poverty and bring up living standards. Read our policy positions on retrofitting here.
Flooding Policy
Flooding is often thought of as a natural disaster, and it is true that we cannot prevent flooding from happening altogether. However, the questions of who is protected from flooding and who bears the brunt of its consequences are answered by the decisions of people, not the blind force of nature. As flooding gets worse over the coming decades, it is our job to ensure that those decisions are taken in ways that meet the needs of our people. Read our policy positions and what we are calling on national and local government to do about flooding here.
Renters Manifesto 2023
ACORN - along with other organisations such as Generation Rent, New Economics Foundation, London Renters Union, Greater Manchester Tenants Union - have come together to produce the Renters Manifesto - a call to all political parties to commit to the bold changes needed to fix the housing crisis.
The Renters Manifesto sets out the steps needed to ensure that everybody has a secure, affordable and decent home. It covers five key themes: Security, Standards, Fairness, Affordability, and Housing for People, Not Profit.
You can read the full Renters Manifesto here.
Click here to see our model motion for Trade Union branches to support the Renters Manifesto.
Short Term Lets
The rise in short term holiday lettings such as AirBnB is having a devastating effect on some of the communities our members live in. ACORN members have seen short term holiday lets replace long term rental accommodation, meaning rents are going up and conditions are going down. In some areas of Wales, the rise in short term lets is breaking up communities where the Welsh language is spoken and threatening its endurance. In some areas such as Cornwall and West Wales, the lack of long term residents has led to businesses closing down, schools struggling to get funding and NHS staffing crises.
In early 2022 ACORN's Executive Committee debated these issues and adopted the following 12 point policy platform, a call to decision makers to act to halt and reverse the destructive effects short term lets are having on our communities and the housing sector.