Housing campaigners storm meeting in protest at their exclusion from commission

Campaigners stormed into City Hall to disrupt a meeting amid accusations the council is attempting to “whitewash the outcomes” of a new group.

The Living Rent Commission has been set up to explore the Labour administration’s commitment to making Bristol a ‘Living Rent City’ with the aim of ensuring tenants have access to good quality, affordable and secure homes – and that action is taken to halt spiralling rents.

But members of ACORN, the city’s most prominent housing organisation representing renters, say their application to be involved with the commission was rejected, arguing their exclusion is “wilfully silencing the voices of thousands of renters across the city”.

Storming into the first meeting of the commission on Tuesday, ACORN campaigners halted proceedings and demanded they should be given a place at the table – reading out a number of reasons why to those in attendance.

Bristol City Council has stated the commission pools expertise and knowledge from across the housing sector, including renters, to explore solutions to the rental crisis.

The council claims that ACORN “has not expressed willingness to work with the range of stakeholders necessary to deliver the aims of the commission”.

This is despite the council teaming up with the Bristol Fair Renting Campaign (supported by Shelter) and ACORN earlier this year to host a summit focusing on ways to tackle the rental crisis. The commission was formed in the wake of this event.

Elsie Bradley Middle, the co-chair of ACORN Bristol, said: “ACORN is the largest organisation of renters in Bristol.

“By refusing our involvement, the council is not only skewing the commission’s representation, it is willfully silencing the voices of thousands of renters across the city in a commission that the council claims it has created to ‘empower tenants rights’. This decision is completely counter to the Living Rent Commission’s aims and our exclusion is clearly an attempt to whitewash its outcomes. We won’t stand for it.”

ACORN campaigners stormed the first meeting of Bristol Living Rent Commission on Tuesday

Labour’s cabinet member for housing, Tom Renhard, who will co-chair the commission, is an ACORN member. However, members of the organisation say he is not listed as a member of ACORN and is there in his capacity as cabinet member. Nor, they say, has he been elected to represent them or informed the organisation of his intention to do so.

A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Our aims are to ensure that renters across Bristol have access to good quality, affordable and secure homes and that we take action to put a stop to the spiralling rents that are destroying communities.

“We undertook an expression of interest process to select partners to join the commission with those selected demonstrating commitment to work in partnership for the city. ACORN Bristol has a track record of campaigning but has not expressed willingness to work with the range of stakeholders necessary to deliver the aims of the commission. Today’s actions are an indication of ACORN’s behaviour.

“This is a groundbreaking attempt to make a positive impact on rents in the city and the views of all will be sought and considered.”

ACORN campaigners argue their work since 2014 has been instrumental in bringing to the council’s attention the key issues that the commission will be investigating.

On a national level, ACORN is a key member of the Renters’ Reform Coalition and has consistently been asked by the current government to submit evidence and testimony to parliamentary committees.

Bristol City Council says details of the commission’s full membership are due to be published on Wednesday.

ACORN members argue their exclusion is “wilfully silencing the voices of thousands of renters across the city”

All photos Luciana Bignardi 

Read more: ‘ACORN is a community union that has landlords on the run’ 

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