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Everyone in for Good - 2021 Local Elections

Everyone in for Good - 2021 Local Elections

Everyone in for Good - 2021 Local Elections

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Homelessness in the Local Elections

Local councils can have a huge impact on how people facing homelessness are treated. “Postcode lotteries” are often mentioned where one council will offer help when others refuse. But it isn’t really a lottery. The attitude of councils is often determined by its elected leaders. And on May 6th that could change massively!

This year more than 4500 elections take place, with many being held over from last year. There are people being elected as Mayors, Councillors, and Police and Crime Commissioners across the whole of England, in addition to the elections to the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd. Whether they are the Mayor of Greater Manchester, a Borough Councillor in Rugby or a County Councillor in Gloucestershire, what everyone who is elected will have in common will be some influence over housing and homelessness policies. They will set policies and priorities and they may even determine whether you can access any funding.

So, if you care about homelessness or housing policy, there has never been a better time to engage with local politicians. Homeless Link has produced a pledge that you can use to start a conversation with candidates in your area. You can ask them to commit to prioritising ending homelessness if they are elected. And you can encourage them to publish their support on social media so they are “on the record”. There is also a campaign pack that can be used to find your local candidates and other background information.

Everyone is extremely busy at the moment but investing an hour now could pay dividends in the long term. Here some things you can do:

  1. Read through the Pledge and share it with any candidates who you meet. (30 mins)
  2. Share the Pledge with your staff, volunteers and clients and ask them to raise them with any candidates they meet. (Less than one hour)
  3. Send the Pledge by email to all the candidates in the ward, or across the district where you are based asking them to let you know if they are prepared to sign it. (You can add your organisation’s logo to the word version). Ask them to send you a selfie with the signed pledge. (Less than two hours)
  4. You can use the draft letter to write to the local newspaper or media calling on candidates to sign the Pledge. (Less than two hours)
  5. You can use this guide to organise a hustings meeting for local candidates to discuss their policies on housing and homelessness. This could be done through your local forum or jointly with others in your area. (A couple of days work)

Council candidates are in listening mode now. They have to listen to the electorate in order to get elected. They are only people and may know very little about housing and homelessness, so this is a great time to introduce them to your work and your concerns. Then, if they are elected, you will have an existing relationship that you can use to influence policy and priorities going forwards.

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