London's March for Homes: are you taking part?

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/30/londons-march-for-homes-are-you-taking-part

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Housing is high on the political agenda, nowhere more than in London, where rocketing renting costs and a desperate shortage of social and affordable homes is reflected by the March for Homes protest taking place on Saturday. Campaign groups, trade unionists and tenants plan to march on London’s City Hall to call on Boris Johnson and councils to built new council homes and prevent current ones from being demolished or sold off to private developers.

“Developers are having a field day in London and politicians are paving the way for them,” said Eileen Short, chair of Defend Council Housing and a co-organiser of the march. “We need affordable and secure housing and that should be the starting point – not how many unaffordable rabbit hutches to build to boost council revenues. Political decisions are allowing this to happen and this needs to change.”

“There is a real possibility of a great deal of people becoming active around housing,” said Saskia O’Hara, whose Focus E15 group is leading the east London section of the march.

“We encourage people to represent themselves, forget about being respectable and get organised. This is how we have gained victories such as 40 homes being opened on the Carpenters Estate.”

Are you taking part in the march? Share your images from the day, and share your own stories of renting in the capital. Is your social housing under threat? Are you struggling to find an affordable home? You can tell your stories via GuardianWitness, or if you prefer, you can get in touch directly by emailing james.walsh@theguardian.com. We will feature your stories in our future coverage.