Tenants on The March.

       The tenants of the Queen's Cross Housing Association, (QCHA), are starting to show their muscle. It would appear that last year the QCHA hit the tenants with an almost 5% rent increase and thought that they had got away with it rather easily. So this year they have decided to throw another almost the same amount rip-off increase at the same tenants. However the QCHA tenants are not taking this lying down, a group has got together and started leafleting the entire area and getting tenants to sign a petition against the rent rip-off increase. As the group have gone from door to door they are finding willing signatories to the petition, but what is more encouraging, more and more people are coming forward to see how they can help the campaign. You can help the tenants fight this unfair rip-off rent increase by signing their on-line petition,

       In these economic times no ordinary people can afford a 5% rent increase year after year. Nowhere among these tenants will you find incomes rising by anything like 5% each year. This is a further savage blow to people already struggling to keep their heads above water, this type of greed driven increase on top of the "bedroom tax" could be the spark that starts the fire, could we be seeing shades of the 1914/15 Clydeside rent strikes?

     On Friday February 8th. the tenants will be marching from Cedar street to the QCHA Offices to hand in their paper and on-line petition, they are asking for support from all those who agree that massive rent rises on top of wage cuts/freezes are unacceptable, so join them as a show of solidarity. Bring your friends and neighbours, bring the kids, bring plenty of noise, let our voice be heard.

        The details are:

     Assemble 1:30 Friday 8th February outside 65 Cedar St. Middle of the 3 big grey tower blocks with red and blue striped sides behind Lidl on Maryhill Rd, 5 minutes from St George's Cross. http://www.facebook.com/events/211339209003805/

ann arky's blog.

 

Austerity Cuts and Rent Hikes, for Whose Benefit?

This from Cedar Street says NO:

     Here in Glasgow we're fighting a 9.1% rent increase over 2 years, through the Glasgow solidarity network. For more information please see http://cedarsaysno.wordpress.com/ Please forward around as you see appropriate as we need solidarity from further afield. We've got banners for the balconies but been too windy to have them out much. Forced the housing management to come to a mass meeting with tenants where they got blasted. But mostly its been the usual of going door to door and trying to get more people speaking up, even if its just signing the petition, and get involved. Here's how you can support us.
1) Sign our online petition. Please say so if you live locally.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/no-to-queen-s-cross-housing-association-rent-hike.html

2) Call / fax / email QCHA and then comment below with what you and they said
Tel: 0141 945 3003 Fax: 0141 945 2429 Email : contactus@qcha.org.uk mailto:contactus@cha.org.uk

3) Come on Friday when we hand in the paper and online petitions and invite your friends too.

       Assemble 1:30 Friday 8th February outside 65 Cedar St. Middle of the 3 big grey tower blocks with red and blue striped sides behind Lidl on Maryhill Rd, 5 minutes from St George's Cross.
http://www.facebook.com/events/211339209003805/

      This campaign has been launched in response to Queens Cross Housing Association's proposed rent increase of 4.6% this year, following on from a 4.5% increase last year. This comes at a time when many people are already struggling to make ends meet - wages and benefits are frozen or decreasing whilst basic living costs are still on the rise.
      Many residents are unhappy with Queens Cross already due to a range of issues, from essential repairs not being carried out to tower block lifts breaking down on a regular basis. Many of the flats in the area have not been properly insulated and as a result residents cannot afford extortionate heating bills. There are still problems of damp and mould in many flats, which clearly has a knock-on affect on people's health and well-being.
       QCHA announced a 'consultation' period which ends on 8th February, though many were rightfully skeptical as to how much they were going to be listened to. As a result, residents called a public meeting on 1st February which was attended by representatives from the Housing Association. Despite being confronted with angry residents who had a range of objections to the plans, Queens Cross seemed unable to justify the proposal and unable to answer a straight question!
       In the days since that meeting we have launched a petition to show Queens Cross the strength of feeling against this proposal. We have been knocking doors, talking to our neighbours about the situation and collecting signatures. We also have a separate online petition so that those who live outside the area can show their support.
      This Friday 8th February, on the last day of the 'consultation' we will be meeting outside the Cedar Court flats and going together to the Queens Cross offices to hand in our petitions.

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