Barry Gardiner Says Leasehold System Is Trapping People In Homes They Can't Sell

Labour MP Barry Gardiner has put forward an amendment to the Leasehold and Freehold Bill to reform service charges and remove another income stream for freeholders, as he continues to campaign for the abolition of the leasehold system.

The MP for Brent North has campaigned to end the leasehold system for more than two decades, and advocates for replacing it with commonhold. Commonhold allows residents in a block of flats or estate to own the freehold of their building, and removes the time limit which people can live in their accommodation for. This system is used in the United States, Australia and across Europe.

Gardiner told PoliticsHome the leasehold system has inflicted human suffering on millions of people, and has trapped many of his constituents in homes they do not want to live in and cannot afford to sell.

“We haven’t begun to talk about the human problems here. About the people who have huge mental health problems, the people who have committed suicide,” he said, referring to the emotional toll he believed leasehold has caused for many.

“Many of them have found that they’re trapped, they can’t move…. We're closing down their abilities to have families. They want to move to a larger property, but nobody will buy the one that they’re in. They can't move. [Leasehold] is a nightmare for people.”

Read the full piece written by Tom Scotson in PoliticsHome, published on the 22nd of January 2024 here.

Leasehold needs to be abolished, and the government aren't doing enough

On the 21st of January 2024, Barry spoke to Camilla Tominey on her GB News show to discuss the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill, which is currently going through its committee stage in parliament.

Barry is sitting on the Bill committee hearing evidence from leaseholders who are recounting how the feudal housing system has impacted them.

At the end of January, Barry will be launching a documentary into Leasehold, visit the website here for more information.

Israel Gaza War: Barry will vote for a ceasefire today

On the 15th of November 2023 Barry went on the Today Programme to explain why he will be voting for a ceasefire today in parliament.

Barry responded to Sir Keir Starmer’s position that a ceasefire would only freeze the situation. On the contrary Barry points out that any ceasefire depends on what is negotiated and will only happen through pressure by the international community.

The Government's crime policies are nothing but "window dressing"

On the 7th of November 2023 Barry went on LBC Cross Questions with Iain Dale in reaction the King’s Speech. The panel answered questions on criminal sentencing laws, pro-palestine protests, if Suella Braverman is a “decent” Home Secretary and the Covid Inquiry.

Barry argued that, whilst he welcomes tougher sentences for violent crimes, they are nothing but “window dressing” without increasing court and prison capacity.

We must take moral leadership and negotiate a ceasefire

On the 3rd of November 2023 Barry told Politics Joe that Keir Starmer must take “moral leadership” and call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Barry tells ITV News that a Ceasefire Can Bring Hope

In his interview with ITV News, Barry responded to Sir Keir Starmer’s speech where the party leader said a ceasefire would only freeze the situation. On the contrary Barry points out that any ceasefire depends on what is negotiated and will only happen through pressure by the international community.

We need a "transformative plan for our economy" - that is new green infrastructure

On the 11th of October 2023 Barry spoke to spoke to Jacob Jarvis on the Oh God What Now podcast about the chaos of the Tories' reign so far, Keir Starmer's housing ambitions and the need for leasehold reform.

“In the second world war, we built ships in 4 days” we can fight the climate crisis with the war footing that we need. “If we don’t win this war we will lose jobs and our economy will fail” - Barry.

You can watch the full interview below:

Working to make people in Brent feel confident in their own safety

On the 30th of October 2023 Barry went on BBC Politics Live to discuss the latest updates in the Israel-Gaza conflict, the build up to the King’s Speech and the upcoming AI summit to be held in the UK in early November.

In Brent we have the largest Jewish school in Europe and we have a large Muslim community. "In the wake of the conflict in Israel and Gaza “we have managed to make sure that people are talking to each other… with all groups to make sure that local people feel confident in their safety, and that’s on both sides” - Barry.

Ofwat are "trying to pull the wool over the public's eyes " - it is a disgrace

On the 26th of September 2023, Barry went on Times Radio to break down the £114m cut from water bills that Ofwat have ordered upon water companies.

“The largest fine that they've given out is for Thames Water, and that's £101 million “ Barry explained, “Thames Water serves 15 million people. That means off their next annual bill, each person will get £6.70.”

Meanwhile, Ofwat have allowed the former owners of Thames Water, Macquarie, to “triple the debt of that company, and then to take out £2.7 billion.”.

Climate change should be science led, not politics led

“Doing nothing is not an option here”, said Barry on LBC News on the 20th of September 2023.

Rishi Sunak’s Net Zero roll back will cost the economy and it will cost us the chance of achieving a “new green economy”.

This is not a time for “less action”, Barry argued, outlining the economic and scoietal benefits to a green transition.

Labour must be prepared to defend net zero – and fight a snap election

On the 21st of September 2023 Barry wrote an article in LabourList criticisng Rishi Sunak’s Net Zero rollback and advising everyone to get ready for a snap election.

“Rishi Sunak has now fired the starting pistol for the November election. Not November 2024 – November 2023! With Labour 18 points ahead in the polls, it takes something as dramatic as breaking the 15-year bipartisan consensus on climate change to create the clear political separation that Tory strategists think they need to have a fighting chance. They see climate change as the issue in 2023 that Brexit was for them in 2019.”

You can read the full article here.

Rishi Sunak is intent on operating without any scrutiny - we won't let him

“I’m incandescent..there’s been no opportunity to scrutinise” this was Barry’s reaction to Rishi Sunak’s rolling back on key committments towards the goal of net zero. This is particulalry frustrating as it comes just after Parliament has broken up for Party Conference recess.

On the 21st of September 2023 Barry appeared on PoliticsJoe to air his frustration over Sunak’s dishonesty and environmental negligence.

On this show Barry announced that after calling on the Chair of the Enviornmental Audit Committee to reconvene, an informal session will be helf on Monday the 25th of September, despite it being recess, so as to properly scrutinise the government’s horrendous rolling back of green policies.

You can watch the full interview here.

“Why are the poorest people in our society having to subsidise those energy companies? It is simply wrong!”

On Friday the 8th of September, Barry was a guest on the Oh God What Now podcast to discuss crumbling schools and the government’s crumbling reputation.

“Every time it’s this generation of kids that have faced up to the problems created by this government.”

“We will only borrow to invest, we will not borrow to consume.”

Listen to the first episode here.

‘Thames Water are ignoring their own terrible record over sewage in London’

On the 6th of September 2023 the Evening Standard published an article by Barry Gardiner entitled: Thames Water are ignoring their own terrible record over sewage in London.

“From Becmead Avenue in Harrow all the way to the North Circular, Thames Water’s customers have been living next to an open sewer with the stench and the misery that entails.”

Read the full piece here.

The Government have thrown schools, children and parents into "chaos"

On the 4th of September 2023 Barry appeared on BBC News London to outline the “chaos” that the government have put schools in, on the issue of RAAC.

The Government received a “very serious” report from the National Audit Office back in June of this year, Barry points out, which identified hundreds of thousands of children at severe or critical risk.

The Government has had 8 weeks to take action on this, and they have only just decided to take action - this is “unacceptable”.

We are seeing the long term affects of austerity

UK school building programmes have been “systematically underfunded” by this Government, Barry told Salma El-Wardany on BBC Radio London on the 4th of September 2023.

Barry appeared on the show to discuss the aerated concrete (or RAAC) crisis, which has seen several schools closing buildings at risk of collapse, with many more potentially under threat.

Over the “past 13 years, this Government has skimped, tried to penny-pinch on the things that are most important in life” and now we are feeling the consequences, argued Barry.

Hundreds of students at London school forced from classrooms due to discovery of risky concrete

Barry Gardiner spoke to Ellen O'Dwyer of iNews on the issue of aerated concrete in schools.

“St Gregory’s Catholic Science College, in the borough of Brent, is trying “desperately” to get portacabins in place for the new term but help from the Department of Education has not been quick enough, Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, said.

The school is among hundreds that have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in some of their buildings, a lightweight concrete, used between the 50s and mid-90s, that risks collapsing.”

Read the full article on the iNews website here.

The state of school buildings in the UK is "atrocious" and the Government won't take responsibility

On the 1st of September 2023 Barry spoke to Jumoké Fashola on her BBC Radio London Show to discuss the issue of areated concrete, or RAAC, in schools.

The maths block at St Gregory's Catholic Science College in Brent has been found to have RAAC and has therefore been closed. Thanks to the hard work of St Gregory’s and the local council, students will still be able to study their lessons, but not in the maths block.

Barry tabled a written question back in July asking the relevent Minister to provide the information of schools that are at risk of RAAC. The Minister’s response “batted away” the question, argued Barry, claiming that the Government has not “taken responsibility when they should have done.”

Nadine Dorries is right about one thing "levelling up has been discarded"

On the 27th of August 2023 Barry appeared on a GB News Panel hosted by Arlene Foster to discuss Nadine Dorries’ resignation and Labour’s tax policy.

“The Prime Minister really has a case to answer” in the wake of Dorries’ letter, argued Barry, as she levied several substantive policy critiques of Rishi Sunak.

Barry further argued that “if you’re going to tax people, put the emphasis on the wealthy, not on the poor” in a an attempt to alleviat the suffering caused by the cost of living crisis.

Why have the Tories failed so badly on illegal immigration?

On the 4th of August, Barry appeared on the Lee Anderson show to discuss immigration and shoplifting.

“The number of asylum seekers in 2010 was 22,000. Last year, it was 89,000. You've had 13 years to sort this problem out”, Barry argued, “why have you failed so badly?”.

The same goes for shoplifiting. Under the Conservatives “the figures went up to 382,000. That's about 80 to 100,000, more than it was under Labour”. This is why Labour have pledged to put 13,000 more police on the streets to keep Britain safe.