Housing, Power and Property

Housing has become one of the most contentious issues in contemporary politics. as entire generations get priced out of home ownership, while successive government fail to solve the problem.

Does property mean power in our political system? Why is the housing market so broken, and who benefits from this? How can we understand it and what can we do about it? These questions are not only crucial for renters, housing activists and policy specialists; they matter to anyone trying to understand Britain in 2025. This event will bring together analysts, activists and policy experts to discuss these crucial questions.

This event is hosted by the Centre for Social Change and Justice, University of East London, and The Autonomy Institute.

Programme

1:00-1:30 Arrivals, welcome

1:30-3:00 A Nation of Landlords? Is Britain Ruled by Rentiers?

Speakers:

Anna Minton, author of Big Capital: Who is London For?

Isaac Rose, author of The Rentier City: Manchester and the Making of the Neoliberal Metropolis

Jeremy Gilbert, author of Hegemony Now

3:00-3:30 break

3:30-5:00 Property and Policy: what are the alternatives to simply giving developers whatever they want?

Speakers:

Councillor Aydin Dikerdem, Wandsworth Borough Council

Abi O’Connor, University of Sheffield

Beth Stratford, University College London

Charlie Winstanley, author of Bricking It: The UK Housing Crisis and the Failure of Policy

5:00-5:30 break

5:30-7:00 Rent and Resistance: how can we resist the rule of rentiers, both conceptually and organisationally?

Speakers:

Nick Bano, author of Against Landlords: How to Solve the Housing Crisis

Jacob Stringer, author of Renters Unite: How Tenant Unions are Fighting the Housing Crisis

Speaker from Acorn, the union for the community