ACORN General Election 2024 demands
On July 4th 2024, the nation will go to the polls. ACORN is focussing on 4 demands at this election, 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 are 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.
In the coming weeks we will be holding hustings and putting our demands to candidates locally.
You can find full details of our policy positions, and take online action, on our election web page.
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.
Renters Reform Bill
ACORN, along with other organisations in the Renters Reform Coalition, is campaigning to make the Renters Reform Bill as transformative and positive for England's 11 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 finally introduced to Parliament in May 2023, before being debated in Parliament in October 2023. Check out this page for updates on the Renters Reform Bill.
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.