[After the wave of militancy against the Clydeside…]

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After the wave of militancy against the Clydeside rent increases of 1915 had gradually died away there was no important rent strike in Britain until 1934 when Leeds saw a fairly large outbreak.

The important point about the Leeds rent strike is that it was directed against a reforming Labour council.

The counci had drawn up a large scale clearance and redevelopment scheme for the sium area in the city centre, which needed a large counci house bulding programme to accommodate the displaced slum dwellers.

This in turn meant a substantial rise in the rates to finance the interest costs and running costs of the new housing.

Leeds Counci saw …a difficulty here. In the period before the slums were cleared and the new housing occupied, which would be some ten years or more, the ratepayers lett in the slums would in effect be subsidising the Council house tenants who had already been rehoused.

Economic cost

Hostility to this situation threaiened the whole of the city centre redevelopment scheme.

The solution that they came up with was to increase the rent of the council houses up to the actual economic cost, that is to eliminate the existing pattern of subsidies, and to replace them with a scheme of rent rebates.

Means The rebates would be subject to a means test, so that the better off tenants would be granted smaller rebates. Many tenants objected to the indignity of the méans test, and in April 1934 there was a rent strike.

The coucil issued eviction notices and the strike

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