[we must be prepared to confront the Council…]

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we must be prepared to confront the Council now."

An angry tenant voiced these sentiments on the Day of Housing' organised by the Coventry Federation of Tenants. The fury of Council tenants against Coventry Labour Council's implementation of Heseltine's policy is gaining momentum. Tenants in many area of Coventry are organising themselves in action groups and associations.

The Labour Council has already (prematurely) implemented part of Heseltine's increase on February 16, and plan a further rate rise in April and another rent increase in October.

In an effort to balance the books, the Council has come up against a deficit of £516,000 which is the amount it hopes to collect from tenants with this increase. In doing so they are acting as direct agents of Heselting, placing the entire burden of the deficit arising from the capitalist crisis onto the backs of Council tenants.

Faced with an ever-falling standard of living, tenants, frustrated with the appalling Lambeth's Labour-controlled Council has, state of Council housing, long-overdue repairs and an unending barrage of increases are organising themselves to challenge the Council.

The Tenants" Associations vary from area to area: Stoke, Hadford and Hillfields are encouraging tenants to withhold the rent increase, whereas areas like Willenhall are concentrating on extensive repairs surveys.

It is believed that 900 tenants in Coventry are withholding recent rent increases. The Council is clearly worried. Last week it discovered £800,000 in their coffers and have agree to_spend it on repairs. But as one tenant remarked, this amount could be spent on her estate alone.

There have been numerous casés of harassment by the Council: a meeting held by one Tenants Association was taped; individual tenants have been bribed and offered setting up its own meeting with tenants in an dents Association.

It is working class women in particular, who have come to. the forefront in taking up a fight on housing conditions. Their determination to struggle and organise effectively is clearly there. To win these struggles it is necessary to have a perspective programme of victory which can give confidence to those opening themselves to victimisation.

The Tenants Associations must be strenghthened and prepare the groundwork for a sharp political confrontation. 13 Labour rents go up by a further £1.15.

And in Dundee, another Labour Council opposing the cuts has refused to increase rents but raised rates by 150%. Such huge rate increases encourage workers to blame Labour Councils rather than Tory cuts for the attacks on their living standards.

Meanwhile, in Paisley angry demonstrations and the threat of a rent strike have forced the Labour council to reduce its rent increase from 50% to 35%. Tenants' leaders still predict the rent strike will go ahead.