Who is Gagging Tenants?

Khan is right - Tory voter ID plans gag the poorest.

But it’s not just in London. Here's what we can do about it'

On New Years’ Eve, Sadiq Kahn warned that a new wave of hard right populism could see Susan Hall in London’s City Hall. And the new requirement for voter identification at the ballot box might accelerate this trend. He’s right, but it’s not just London that is affected.

The voter identification requirements deliberately make it more difficult for those who traditionally support Labour, to vote.

After the 2019 General Election, IPSOS estimated how voters voted. Their results came as no surprise,

Labour had a 43 point lead among voters aged 18-24, but the biggest change was among 35-54 year olds, who saw a three point rise in the Conservatives’ vote share and 11 point fall for Labour.
There was a gender gap, with the Conservatives ahead of Labour by 15 points among men, and by nine points among women.
Among BME voters, Labour led the Conservatives by 64% to 20%, while among white voters the Conservatives led by 48% to 29%. However, Labour’s vote share fell a similar amount since 2017 among both groups, by 9 points and 10 points respectively.
Those living in rented housing were less likely to vote Labour - 45%, down 12% on the previous election.

The Voter Identification Regulations were introduced in 2022. Government claimed there was a danger of ‘personation’, that is, the electoral crime of pretending to be someone else to use their vote. So, how many personation crimes were prosecuted in 2022? None. How many allegations of personation in polling stations? 7, and no further action was taken in any of those cases because there was no evidence or insufficient evidence.

Prior to the last local elections, the Electoral Commission led a campaign to raise awareness of the need for identification. It subsequently reported that people from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to have photo ID than other groups. There was a below average level of awareness particularly among those who do not identify as White British (82% aware compared with 93% for white respondents).

On top of this the young, the unemployed, those who rent social housing are all less likely to have photo ID than the average person.

The reasons are plain, people who are younger, poorer, and less likely to own a car, are less likely to have a passport or driving licence. Compared to homeowners, tenants are more likely to move house frequently making it difficult to keep their photo ID up to date, and they may need to re-register to vote each time they move.

These new restrictions could have a chilling effect on voter turnout. Some may be reluctant to vote if they know that they may be turned away at the polling station for not having the correct ID.

What can be done?

Such overt gerrymandering undermines democracy so needs to be combated at every level. Every citizen should be encouraged to vote and Party members should be discussing at all forums how this can be achieved. ID can be a passport, a full or provisional driving licence. Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) cards, Blue badges, and some concessionary travel cards are also accepted. People without an existing acceptable form of voter ID can get a free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC).

Some questions:

When is the Electoral Commission starting its information campaign?

How has the budget for the campaign changed from the last general election?
How is it targeting the people its research identified were less likely to be able to vote?

What can local government do now to promote turnout amongst unrepresented groups? Lewisham Councillors explored this some years ago.
Encouraging local newspapers to cover voter issues can increase turnout.
There are multiple resources in other, third party organisations that could creatively support deliberately disenfranchised tenants and other marginalised groups. At the very least there are opportunities through consumer/tenants groups and representatives to communicate the need for ID. Company newsletters could reduce endless self promotion and give space over to sharing for example, that More imaginative approaches could link ID supplied at tenancy sign up with the ID needed to vote.

There is more that can be done still time. An active discussion and exploration throughout the Party has the potential to not only help strengthen democracy, it might also prevent a wave of dangerous populism.

An edited version of this article appeared in LabourList on 30th January 2024

https://labourlist.org/2024/01/voter-id-laws-photo-card-election-electoral-commission/

Comments

A National Scandal: Empty Homes and the Housing Crisis

Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home. Yet in England today, a growing number of people struggle to access this basic need. While hundreds of thousands of properties sit empty, the housing crisis deepens. A Growing Problem, a Missed Opportunity But there's a glimmer of hope. Studies show that repurposing empty properties could create up to 40,000 affordable homes within four years. It wouldn't solve everything, but it would offer a lifeline to countless individuals on the brink of homelessness. This is a wasted opportunity. No one should face homelessness when solutions exist. Families with children are crammed into single rooms, forced to prepare for work in drafty cars, or uprooted from jobs and support networks due to a lack of affordable options. The government's inaction on empty properties is unacceptable. Long-term empty homes, vacant for over six months, have skyrocketed to over 248,000 – a 24% increase in just six years. This coincides with recor...

Homelessness: A Growing Crisis and the Role of Housing Associations

As homelessness in the United Kingdom continues its relentless rise, reaching over 350,000 , the pressing question remains: why are housing associations (HAs), the wealthiest players in the housing sector, doing so little to stem this tide? With millions of pounds flowing into their coffers annually, housing associations have the financial muscle to make a significant impact. Yet, their contributions to addressing homelessness seem conspicuously limited. HAs have long been a cornerstone of social and affordable housing, managing extensive property portfolios and collecting substantial rental incomes from their tenants. These funds are intended for the maintenance and expansion of housing stock, ensuring that affordable housing remains available to those who need it most. However, a closer examination reveals that the priorities of these associations have shifted over time. The increasing pressure to operate with a business-like efficiency has led housing associations to focus o...

How social landlords must respond to Trump tariff impacts

Economic turmoil will have knock-on impacts for affordable housing supply chains in the UK, but it also presents an opportunity for social landlords to demonstrate resilience, argues Peter Brown Trump's tariff barrage, with a 10% baseline tariff on its goods exports to the US includes a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports , materials fundamental to the construction industry. Manufacturing and construction supply chains are directly in the firing line and perhaps more importantly, unforeseen turbulence creates uncertain future costs, risks of contract failure and possibly more company insolvencies. This is no longer a distant concern. How should the sector respond? Decisive action is needed. The potential impact of these tariffs, particularly on steel and aluminium, will ripple through our supply chains, inflating construction costs and jeopardising project viability. Housing organisations, from the largest G15 to the smallest community-led associations, must adopt a war-room...

Will Housing Investment be Pivotal?

Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement on 26th March is poised to be a defining moment. We stand at a crossroads, with stark choices before us. The Chancellor must resist the siren song of austerity and instead embrace a bold vision of investment, especially in housing, and safeguard the vital safety net of welfare. The idea that we can achieve economic growth by slashing benefits and public spending is not just misguided, it’s downright dangerous. It’s a cruel delusion to think that we can starve the very people who need support the most and somehow expect the economy to flourish. Cutting wages and benefits for the poor, the old, the sick, and the disabled is not just morally reprehensible, it’s economically illiterate. It will only deepen inequality and stifle any hope of real progress. Instead of these shortsighted cuts, Reeves must prioritise investment in social housing. A decent home is not a luxury; it’s a fundamental human right. Building more social housing will not only provid...

1984 and Truth Social

How Orwell’s masterpiece can predict Trumps next steps I decided, with a grim sort of duty, to re-read Orwell. Pulled my old, dog-eared copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four from the shelf, expecting, perhaps, a historical curiosity. A powerful warning, yes, but one whose specific horrors belonged to the mid-20th century, to Stalin and the nascent Cold War fears that birthed it. Instead, I found myself gripped by a chilling, nauseating sense of déjà vu . Page after page wasn't just resonant; it felt like a dispatch from the present. Not the whole terrifying architecture of Airstrip One, not yet. But the tools, the language, the psychological distortions – they leaped off the page, smeared across the news reports from Donald Trump’s second presidency, barely four months old. It’s uncanny, and frankly, terrifying. Orwell wasn't just writing about totalitarianism; he was dissecting the mechanisms by which truth is dismantled and power becomes absolute. And seeing those mechanisms depl...

The Tenure that will not Die

Picture a young couple, Jess and Sam. They have spent years diligently saving for a deposit, only to watch house prices skyrocket, far outpacing their wages. Enter shared ownership: the government's much-touted “affordable” solution. Buy a 25% stake in a flat, pay rent on the rest, and supposedly climb the property ladder step by step. It sounds reasonable—until the trap snaps shut. Shared ownership is marketed as a lifeline for a generation locked out of home ownership. However, peel back the glossy brochures, and you'll uncover a scheme riddled with exploitation , designed not to empower tenants but to enrich developers. This isn’t housing policy—it’s wealth extraction, disguised as social benevolence. The Illusion of Affordability Proponents claim shared ownership bridges the gap between renting and owning. The reality? A financial quagmire. Buyers face a triple burden: exorbitant service charges, unpredictable rent hikes (often tied to inflation), and the Sisyphean task ...

Climate Change and Housing Inequality: The Vulnerable Bear the Greatest Burden

Climate change affects everyone, but its impacts are far from equal. Across the UK and globally, those living in poor quality housing face the harshest consequences of our changing climate, creating a cruel irony where the people who contributed least to global warming suffer most from its effects. The Heat Island Effect: When Housing Location Becomes Life-Threatening People on low incomes are more likely to live in housing not suited to heat and are twice as likely to live in places that are significantly hotter than neighbouring areas due to the 'urban heat island' effect. This phenomenon means that while affluent neighbourhoods enjoy tree-lined streets and green spaces that naturally cool the air, poorer communities endure concrete jungles that trap and intensify heat. The statistics are stark: around a quarter of the poorest families live in homes that regularly overheat, compared to just one in twenty of the richest households. This isn't simply about comfort—...

Resurgence of In-Office Mandates Jeopardises Employee Wellbeing

The fading memory of Covid-19 has prompted a concerning trend: employers are increasingly abandoning flexible work arrangements and mandating a full-time return to the office. This shift disregards the demonstrated benefits of balanced, hybrid work models and places employee wellbeing at risk. With a staggering proportion of the workforce reporting burnout, the pervasiveness of workplace stress is not in question—only its magnitude. Mental Health: A Critical Workplace Imperative Mental health challenges are neither novel nor exceptional in the modern professional landscape; they are, however, frequently unacknowledged and inadequately addressed. Driven by demanding expectations, the erosion of work-life boundaries, and relentless performance pressures, numerous employees face significant struggles, often in silence. Mounting pressures have culminated in research indicating that a substantial majority of employees have experienced burnout within the past year. Therefore, it is i...

Homing in on the public sector

Published in The Guardian, 8th February 1995

The Rise of Private Renting

Another year, another grotesque symptom of Britain's broken housing market. While families languish on ever-lengthening social housing waiting lists, consigned to the precariousness of private renting, a different story unfolds for a select few. 2024 saw a record surge in the creation of limited companies designed solely to hoover up buy-to-let properties. Sixty thousand of these entities sprouted up last year, a 23% jump from the previous "record" in 2023. Let's be clear: this isn't about providing homes ; it's about financial engineering, about exploiting a system rigged in favour of the propertied class. This isn't some sudden blip, but a deliberate, decade-long trend, turbo-charged since 2018 when the tax rules were conveniently "rewritten" for landlords. Now, nearly 400,000 buy-to-let companies stalk the land, gobbling up homes and turning them into investment vehicles. We're told 70-75% of new buy-to-let purchases are now funnelled...

Housing: creative solutions

Search This Blog