Public meeting called as fears rise over loss of council homes on Lancaster estate

Tenants and Community Union (TACU) have called the meeting, at Skerton Liberal Club on Monday November 6, in a bid to fight for Mainway and focus on concern over the loss of council housing after the Lune and Derby House buildings were sold to private developers.

National campaigner Glyn Robbins from Defend Council Housing will be there to provide an account of similar fights for council housing across the UK, and to discuss how to organise against the further sell off of council housing in Lancaster.

Coun Caroline Jackson, deputy leader of Lancaster City Council, will also be present, and the public are invited to bring questions to ask Caroline and Glyn about the future of Mainway, and of council housing in Lancaster.

A council report in 2022 deemed that most of the houses on the Mainway estate would not be habitable in three to five years’ time due to maintenance issues.

The council’s initial plan was to refurbish Mainway starting with Lune House and Derby House, and tenants were moved out in preparation. However in June the council announced that due to rising costs and lack of subsidies they were going to sell off the two blocks to private developers. Tenants say this has left them in uncertain and stressful circumstances.

Demand for housing in the UK is increasingly outstripping supply. Statistics show that in Lancaster alone there are 2000 households waiting for social housing, According to the National Housing Federation, there are around 8.5 million people nationally with unmet housing needs.

A TACU spokesperson said: “As the private housing sector becomes increasingly volatile with rising rents and threats of eviction, the public cannot afford more losses of council houses like Lune and Derby house.

“We’re an organisation of people across Lancaster and Morecambe taking collective action to challenge the powerful and improve our lives. We’re fighting against rising rents, rip-off landlords and low wages.

"The last thing we need is less council housing in Lancaster. Come along to the public meeting on November 6 to get involved.”

The meeting, which starts at 7pm, is open to everyone and food will be provided.