Put Brummies First: End Birmingham's Housing Crisis
Birmingham is at breaking point. Our city faces an existential crisis driven by a bankrupt council, a housing emergency, and communities being destroyed by unregulated Supported Exempt Accommodation (SEAs) and HMOs.
The facts speak for themselves:
- 36,500 families on the Birmingham housing waiting list, many trapped in temporary or inadequate accommodation.
- 1,011 vacant council properties sitting empty, costing the council over £3 million in lost rent.
- Areas like Stockland Green suffering over 380 reported crimes in a single month, driven by the unchecked spread of SEAs and HMOs.
- Family homes being converted into high-density units by out-of-town providers with zero commitment to local community cohesion.
- House prices stagnating, schools emptying, and working families forced to flee their own neighbourhoods.
- A £2.2 billion Ladywood regeneration scheme threatening to demolish up to 1,900 homes and displace long-standing communities.
We, the undersigned, demand that Birmingham City Council and relevant authorities take immediate action on the following:
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Publish a Rogue Landlord and Housing Provider Register — name and shame the negligent housing providers and rogue landlords who are carving up our family homes and destroying our communities.
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Halt all new HMO and SEA conversions without localised community consent — no more family homes turned into high-density units without the people who live there having a say.
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Implement a 15-year local connection housing policy — social housing in Birmingham must be prioritised for Brummies who can prove a verified local connection to the city of at least 15 years. If you have lived here, worked here, paid your taxes here, and raised your family here, you should not be pushed to the back of the queue.
Social housing is a public asset, built and maintained through the collective efforts and tax contributions of this city's workforce. It is time to put long-standing Brummies first.
It is time to end the mismanagement. It is time to protect our neighbourhoods, our schools, and our families.
Sign this petition, share it with your neighbours, and make your voice heard.