Building back fairer - David and Goliath

We Must Build Back Fairer

As a legal advice agency, we often have to be dispassionate in using the law to resolve disputes between tenants and their landlords.

But we are not alone in getting increasingly angry since the onset of the Coronavirus. Perhaps we should all feel ashamed that it has taken a pandemic for us to wake up to the extent of inequality in our society. But should we also feel hopeful that lessons will be learnt, now that inequality stares us all in the face? Well in many respects yes. Up and down the country, people are coming together to plan ways to Build Back Better, or as some are now saying, Build Back Fairer.

For our part, A4R is working with our local BAME organisations to understand the causes of the housing crisis, and the seismic changes that are needed to produce a vast increase in Council homes at rents that when paid, leave tenants with sufficient income to increase their quality of life.

The anger comes from the injustices that could be addressed immediately but aren’t. Like the fact that in the last 10 years, nurses pay has fallen in real terms, by 7.4% and that they pay a higher rate of tax than someone earning £10 million. Or that private developers are telling Brent that they can only afford to squeeze a tiny number of social homes on a site in Wembley, while paying their Chief Executive a bonus of £85 million.

If this makes you angry too, please volunteer some of your time to help us to address this. We know it’s a David and Goliath situation, but let’s keep reminding ourselves, David won!