Last month, roughly half a million workers went on strike, taking most train services in England offline and closing thousands of schools. This recent wave of economic uncertainty and subsequent workers’ action has reminded many of the ‘winter of discontent’, an infamously volatile period from 1978 to 1979.
There are major differences between the winter of discontent 44 years ago and the one we are experiencing today. Principally, in the original winter of discontent, the public eventually lost sympathy for workers who demanded higher salaries, which partly contributed to the landslide Conservative victory of Margaret Thatcher in the summer of 1979.
There seems to be less sign of sympathy significantly waning this time because the strikes are not just about wages, but bigger questions of economic fairness and political legitimacy. For instance, a recent YouGov poll found that there was a “very strong relationship between support for strikes and whether a profession is seen as making a contribution to the country”.
Separately to the strikes, we recently polled renters who live and work in London, and the findings were clear and stark – 80% were struggling to pay their rent due to rising inflation. This includes more than a quarter who admitted that their rent payments were no longer manageable.
Seemingly missing from the debate about the strikes is the major concern that increases in market rental costs could lead to an exodus of the city’s critical workers, putting a strain on the city’s essential services.
The impact of this is even more acute, however, on those critical workers who kept London functioning during the pandemic, given that 76% of them stated that rental prices were the most important factor to them when looking for a place to live, and 62% said they cannot afford an increase in rents of 7% or more.
Seemingly missing from the debate about the strikes is the major concern that increases in market rental costs could lead to an exodus of the city’s critical workers, putting a strain on the city’s essential services.
During this cost-of-living crisis, our nation has been faced with a number of challenges, including increased energy bills and high inflation, which have added to the mounting financial strain felt by many households.
However, the most unrelenting pressure in London and many other parts of the UK comes from rent, something that can be practically addressed through the provision of affordable housing.
Intermediate rental housing could play a crucial role in stemming the crisis. It offers an alternative rental choice for households with a modest income, providing secure, affordable, good-quality and well-managed homes at below market rent.
Lack of awareness
Despite market rent now being essentially unaffordable for a large proportion of London’s renters, our research also revealed a lack of awareness about the affordable-housing options that are available to people on modest incomes in London.
Only 21% of respondents were aware of intermediate housing for rent, but once the concept was explained, 41% were interested, reflecting the clear demand from the people who risk being priced out of the private market in locations allowing a reasonable commute to work.
For critical workers, the need for housing near to their place of work is even more acute, with a quarter saying they would downsize and the same number saying they would live in a less desirable area. With many critical workers unable to work from home, this is no surprise.
Providing critical workers with homes they can afford near to their places of work also ensures essential services can be delivered, including during times such as the recent lockdowns, while ensuring those workers have a safe, reliable and reasonable commute.
London’s critical workers went above and beyond to help us survive the pandemic, and they are the ones who are being disproportionately affected by rising housing costs. Despite this, there remains a lack of support from across the political spectrum for housing that is affordable to critical workers.
Government and the housing sector can provide support by delivering policy changes and funding to support the rapid expansion of affordable rented accommodation, available at a discount to market rent, to those on modest incomes.
Olivia Harris is chief executive of Dolphin Living
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