At the moment it seems most likely that we can protect our homes by having the Housing Act 2003 amended by a statutory instrument, in much the same way as has already happened in Scotland. In order for this to happen, we need as many people as possible to contact their Member of Parliament and the relevant government departments. This contact is much better done by letter rather than email and we would be pleased to see any replies that you get which might be useful.

At the moment, there are a number of questions which we have not managed to get answers to, despite many attempts:

What did the regulatory impact assessment carried out as part of the legislative process have to say about Fully Mutual Housing Co-ops?

Why have Fully Mutual Housing Co-ops been included in housing legislation for thre first time?

Why are English and Welsh Housing Co-ops being targeted despite Scottish ones being given an exemption?

The people we need you to ask are:

Your MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

Baroness Andrews, Under Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government, Elland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DU.

Adetokunbo Okunlola, 2/J6, Elland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DU (this is the last named civil servant we can identify who has worked on this issue).

Lord Bassarn, House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW (in charge of HMO legislation in the House of Lords)

Please also write to your local council. They will be repsonsible for implementing this act, so we need to know from as many councils as possible what their intentions are regarding new HMO legislation, and ask them:

a ) To give an assurance that the local standards for HMOs will not be enforced in co-operatively managed shared dwellings.
b ) To commit to recognising the implications of the new legislation for all those who choose to live in Fully Mutual Housing Co-operatives.

As well as writing letters, we also need somebody - probably a civil servant, to draft the statutory instrument, and it is possible that we will need some legal advice at some point too. If you are somebody who can help with these things, or know somebody who can, please get in touch.