Citizens UK leaders gather at Parliament Square to demand an end to damp and mouldy housing conditions

Citizens UK leaders gather at Parliament Square to demand an end to damp and mouldy housing conditions

A reflection of the day from Sarah Forsey, Senior Project Manager - Climate Justice

We all deserve a safe and healthy place to call home yet nearly 8 million people in England are living in homes that are cold, need repair, or have serious hazards. Many of these homes waste energy putting a strain on their finances and the planet’s resources. On 23 October 2024 over 150 community leaders came together to change that.

It was an early start for many who had travelled across the country to make the event in Central London. Representatives from nine chapters were present: Birmingham, Cardiff, Tyne and Wear, Somerset, Peterborough, Greater Manchester, East, South and West London Citizens. University academics, ESOL learners, parents, residents and representatives from faith groups were joined by council staff, energy saving experts and even a few funders to work together. There was time for a quick coffee and then it was down to business.

It was exciting to have the national housing team together in one room and the setting couldn’t have been more inspiring–St John’s Waterloo, a Grade II listed church, has been painstakingly restored to make a magnificent yet welcoming space which also prioritises energy efficiency.

After hearing some inspiring stories of housing campaigns across the country, we set out to develop a housing action toolkit; a set of off-the-shelf activities which local people can deliver in their communities. One of these activities is running energy efficiency workshops and there was a lively discussion about what this could entail, from making draught excluders out of old tights to demystifying energy efficiency language and removing the stigma around living in a cold home.

But there is only so much that communities can do for themselves. We want to commitment from the government to provide the resources for councils, housing associations and landlords to undertake major works to upgrade our inefficient, damp homes which are in disrepair. So it was lunch on the go as we walked over the iconic Westminster Bridge to gather on Parliament Square for our public action.

We heard from a school teacher who’s pupils are living in poor conditions affecting their health and young people performed a song and theatre piece showing us what it’s like to be stuck in the broken housing system. We were delighted to be joined by six MPs who agreed to advocate for us in parliament and work with us to improve housing conditions.

We left fizzing with energy and revitalised at the feeling of 200 people standing together to demand change from our Government. We also made personal commitments as to our individual contributions, whether that’s bringing new organisations into our housing work or writing a story about their own personal experience of poor housing or starting a discussion group at college. Cardiff Citizens have wasted no time and have organised their energy efficiency workshop for late November. They’ll be sharing their experience for others to learn from in the new year.