Stop Repossession – The BNP Backlash

The current lack of housing help and increased repossession threat has triggered growing support for the BNP.

As more people struggle to stop repossession, housing is becoming more of a political issue. And the run up to the general election revealed how much it can be a potentially destructive one. The BNP used the frustrations and anger around the failed housing policy to recruit more support. Families struggling to stop repossession feel angry that the government hasn’t helped more. And one of the common complaints heard from the poorest communities in places like Blackburn and Bolton is the feeling that immigrants are given more housing breaks, turning the issue from a financial one to a racist one.

Stop Repossession Anger

With five million people on housing waiting lists, it’s not surprising that housing is an issue that provokes such passions. The increased numbers of people unable to stop repossession has resulted in a rising number of families stuck in temporary accommodation – according to a report in the Guardian this number has increased by a third in the last ten years. The report criticised the fact that the housing minister said that repossession could be “the best option” for some, revealing “literal hopelessness of current policy.”

Time for a Political Debate

More people are realising that housing is a political as well as economic failure, with issues like immigration muddying up the mix. The problem is the ‘myths’ that immigration throws up with the perception that immigrants are taking up social housing. A former housing officer has spoken of how the BNP won its first council seat in 1993 – he believes the BNP won the seat because of the huge resentment in the area after millions of public money was spent on regenerating the area with new homes built – all at prices that few local people could afford. The BNP blamed the Bangladeshis in the area for the shortage of affordable housing. The same dynamic was used in the campaign in Barking and Dagenham which has seen a huge rise in BNP support. It’s time the country had a big debate about housing in the political arena.

Are you worried about repossession? Speak to Move Quickly – ring 01302 722 900.