The brief period since the Tories captured control of the London Council - for the first time in thirty-four years - has seen a tremendous upsurge in tenants' militancy. This is a direct result of the savage rises in rent which the new Tory councils have saddled tenants with. The borough of Brent was no exception. Confident, after they had captured control of council for the first time since the amalgamation of the old Wembley and Willesden boroughs, the Conservative group on the council prepared a series of measures to bleed the already overburdened tenant still more. The proposed rises amount to 7/6 per week this September, 15/- next July and 22/6 in July, 1970.
The manner in which the Tories forced this through the council is, in itself, instructive. No proposals were put to the Housing or Finance Committees of the Council, and the resolution to raise the rents was moved on an emergency motion from the chairman of Finance. Among the points he raised was the assertion that council tenants have a "bargain" in the places they get for the rent they pay. This was greeted with derisive laughter from the public gallery, where over forty tenants, assembled at two day's notice, saw all the talk of "fair rents" being swept under the carpet.
One question to be asked is why the Tories saw fit to stampede the increases through the council with such haste. I am convinced that the one thing the Tories feared was action by the tenants to block the rises. The Brent Federation of Council Tenants, re-formed in 1966, is one of the strongest and most militant federations in London. It has a superb record in struggle and has been a thorn in the side of Labour and Tory councils alike when they have attacked council tenants. It was fear of delaying action by the Federation which scared the Tories into taking such swift action.
PROGRAMME OF ACTION
The next move was up to the Federation, which took the following decisions: 1. To get every member Association to hold a public meeting in its own locality, the purpose of which was to ascertain how far tenants would go in opposing these rises. 2. To write to trade union branches, trades councils and other such bodies for donations and support. 3. To organise a petition and a levy on all tenants, to pledge support for the Federation. 4. To hold a demonstration against the rises and a public meeting in the Town Hall. 5. To consider action such as rent strikes or withholding the increases after each Association had [illegible] back from its own meeting.
The meetings were successful beyond all expectations. Over 500 tenants turned up to a meeting in South Kilburn. The meeting hall was too small so the meeting was transferred to a piece of waste ground outside. The meeting was overwhelmingly in favour of and fully supported all the Federation's proposals, including a rent-strike [illegible]. Over £20 has so far been collected from this one [illegible] Federation's levies alone. Similar meetings took place in Stonebridge, Kingshaven and other areas. All pledged support for the proposals outlined above.
What has been the attitude of the Labour Party to this? Once again the glaring contradictions between the Labour Government and the constituency parties has been revealed. It was on a circular from the Government, via the Prices and Incomes Board, that the Tories decided to raise the rents. This "Green Light" circular has caused rent rises in most London boroughs. In marked contrast to this, the local Labour Parties have placed themselves in full support for the tenants. East Willesden LPYS has firmly supported the tenants and, on a resolution moved by the YS, the constituency party voted unanimously to render every assistance to the struggle.
COMMUNIST PARTY CAUTIOUS
The Communist Party, despite a leading role that some of its members play in a few of the Associations, has adopted a cautious approach, and has found itself outflanked for militancy by the Labour Party. The Socialist Labour League, despite its claims to have three YS branches in Brent and its incessant pleas that it is the tenants' vanguard, has been curiously absent from the struggle.
For marxists the lessons of the Brent Tenants' struggle are obvious. Those on the left who take a gloomy view that workers won't fight and are feeling dispirited and defeated have been proved wrong. An even bigger rebuff has been given to the sectarians who have argued for quitting the Labour Party, and that the workers will never again support it. Many workers have already realised they were wrong to abstain or vote Tory in the borough elections and have become firmly resolved never to take such action again. Even more important is the fact that workers are learning to differentiate between the antics of the Parliamentary Labour Party and their local constituency's actions. Of course in the long run tenants' associations by themselves cannot prevent rises in the rent, but as a short-term measure they can play a vital role in instilling confidence into tenants and reversing the drift of workers into apolitical and stagnatory moods. All socialists should render every assistance possible to their local tenants' committees and help to raise the understanding of workers about the society they live and suffer under. The Brent tenants have paved the way to a link-up of all London tenants' associations. Already support has been received from and contact established with Ealing and Paddington. We are sure that in the struggle ahead this will play a part in the ending of Toryism for good.