Brighton MP calls for more help and protection for renters

The MP for Brighton Pavilion has put forward a motion to ban no-fault evictions, make energy efficiency improvements binding and freeze evictions and rents until at least May next year.

Ms Lucas said some residents in Brighton have been forced out of their homes by rent increases.

She said: “Shelter recently found that 42 per cent of people had experienced rent going up in the past year, with one in ten seeing a rise of over £100 a month.

“In a cost-of-living scandal, people can’t go on paying sky-high rents like this.”

Caroline Lucas said that residents in Brighton had been forced from their homes due increases in rent (Image: Unsplash)

She also highlighted the experience of one resident in the city, an NHS nurse.

“Her landlord has left her with a broken oven and washing machine, struggling to survive off expensive microwave meals and laundrette services.

“On top of faulty appliances making life extremely challenging, she also faced rainwater leaks and damage, flooding and a structurally unsafe building.

“With landlords able to refuse to repair, replace or refurbish properties, so many private renters are left physically and mentally exhausted by the challenges of living in such dire conditions.”

Ms Lucas also said that, along with the proposals outlined in her motion, local authorities need to be properly resourced to fully respond to the demands that arise from the housing crisis.

Caroline Lucas MP

The Conservatives pledged to scrap no-fault evictions in their 2019 election manifesto, but questions were raised about the commitment after a Downing Street spokesman said no decisions had been made on whether to pause the promise.

Prior to her resignation, Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier this month committed to honouring the manifesto pledge.

Caroline Lucas said that, while Liz Truss has left office, “it doesn’t mean that the problems our country is facing right now have gone with her”.

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She said: “On the contrary, her breathtaking incompetence sent the country into chaos, and then she jumped ship, lumbering us with an even worse situation than we had before: a tanking economy, a cost of living scandal, a climate emergency and a natural environment under attack.

“Our government may be in meltdown right now, but it has a duty to provide renters with financial stability, fair rents and warm homes - and some desperately needed security at a time of unprecedented turmoil.”