During the pandemic we have been working tirelessly for renters in spite of the myriad of challenges and pressures that have arisen. Thanks to the hard work of all our members we have been able to secure more wins this past year such as our recent action in Evelyn Court, and continue to increase our membership base. With local elections coming up soon it is more important than ever to show our united power as renters and continue to fight to reform our broken housing system!

On December 4th 2021 our first hybrid All Member Assembly was held, with more than 100 LRU members gathered online and in person across London for our third All Member Assembly. A number of our branches organised watch parties, in addition to our main gathering in Euston, allowing members to come together despite the challenges of covid times. Here’s a quick summary of what happened: 

Session 1: Opening presentations

We heard inspiring stories from members of successful organising and an overview of everything that we’ve achieved together over the course of 2021, reminding us how powerful we are when we come together as renters.

Session 2: Updates and elections

We heard updates from across our different committees and groups about their work this past year and plans for the future. We also heard fantastic speeches from João and Liam who were running to be elected to our Coordinating Group. 

Session 3: Motions

We discussed 2 motions, both of which were adopted following discussion and amendments.

Motion 1: Winning changes to the role that councils play in the housing system proposed by the Campaigns Committee

The motion sets out potential strategies and suggested priority demands for LRU branches and groups to use during the May 2022 local elections to start campaigns in order to win changes to the role that councils play in the housing system. The motion was passed with 93% of votes in support, and adopted with the following amendments:

Amendment 1: Add new priority demand section on more accessible housing and support proposed by the Disability Justice Caucus. 

Amendment 2: Under ‘No Forced Displacements’ add “Make sure the council is giving appropriate weight to invisible disabilities such as chronic mental health when making housing offers (e.g. to prevent people being inappropriately discharged into the private sector)” proposed by the Hackney watch party.

Full text of the adopted motion can be found here.

Motion 2: Changes to the LRU Coordinating Group proposed by the Coordinating Group

Setting out steps the union will take to add additional elected representatives to the Coordinating Group and to create clearer roles within the Coordinating Group to increase accountability and transparency. 

The motion was passed with 100% of votes in support, and adopted with the following amendment:

Amendment 4: “There will be a review ahead of next AMA to see if the change in structure has effectively increased involvement by black and brown and working class people”

Full text of the adopted motion can be found here.

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