Letter to Macclesfield's MP re Eviction Embargo

The Cheshire East Labour Group has sent a letter about the eviction embargo to David Rutley MP.

Dear David Rutley MP,

We are writing to you as the Member of Parliament for Macclesfield in the hope that you will make every possible representation to the Government to extend the ban on possible evictions for renters further than the now given date of the 20th September. We are pleased that last Friday the government has extended the ban, but the same issues will face renters in just a month’s time. This uncertainty cannot continue.

Whilst we also understand that the government did put some additional measures in place at the beginning of the pandemic, Shelter as well as other campaigners, housing lawyers and politicians from both sides of the house have said that the changes will have little impact on protecting renters in the courts.

A recent poll carried out by YouGov on behalf of the homelessness charity Shelter found that 225,000 private renters are at risk of eviction when the ban ends. As well as the analysis by Generation Rent estimating that 45,000 households could be made homeless as a result of rent arrears this year – three times the amount that became homeless due to arrears in 2019-I am sure that you will agree that this is a crisis that must be urgently tackled.

Unless the current legislation is changed, tenants will face uncertainty and financial turmoil, and with hundreds of thousands possibly being impacted it is essential that protections are put in place immediately.

We therefore would like to see the previous Conservative Party manifesto commitment upheld to abolish Section 21 completely, and we hope that you share our disappointment that the government has not yet acted on its own promise to end no-fault evictions already before the ban is lifted. If this does not happen then the government simply cannot keep its promise that no renter will lose their home as a result of coronavirus and without doubt we will see an increase in homelessness in our town.

It is therefore essential that the government follows through on this commitment to abolish Section 21 for good as quickly as possible.

In Macclesfield access to quality housing is becoming an increasing problem, with many living in private rentals and struggling to make ends meet. If more private tenants face eviction then it is unlikely that the already overwhelmed social housing organisations and housing support will be able to cope with demand. We are also deeply concerned that those who have lost their jobs or now face redundancy and have built up rent arrears will be

thrown into further financial turmoil and uncertainty. Even if tenants have arranged payment plans to pay back arrears, these debts could mean that struggling renters face an automatic eviction. The reality is that some people locally face the horrific choice of paying rent or buying food.

While landlords have been given a mortgage holiday, renters have still had to pay rent. Nobody should lose their home due to this crisis. There must be a permanent halt to evictions resulting from the crisis, and we call on a cancellation of all rent arrears accrued due to loss of income during the pandemic.

These are incredibly worrying times for everyone, and it is essential that we all do our upmost to ensure people are not left homeless. It is especially important that we protect our children, vulnerable and elderly residents as more uncertainty and the winter months lie ahead.

We therefore request that on behalf of those residents that we represent in Macclesfield you call on the Secretary of State to further delay lifting the ban on evictions, scrap the unfair section 21 and cancel existing arrears caused by the pandemic.

We hope that we can rely on you as our Member of Parliament to stand alongside us in making these demands urgently.

Yours Sincerely,

James Barber – Broken Cross & Upton.

Liz Braithwaite – Macclesfield Central.

Ashley Farrall – Macclesfield Central.

Alift Harewood MBE – Macclesfield West & Ivy.

Nick Mannion – Macclesfield West & Ivy

Steve Carter – Hurdsfield

Brian Puddicombe – Macclesfield South

Laura Jeuda – Macclesfield South.

Rob Vernon – Broken Cross & Upton