"Hands off our Homes" was the message delivered by around 1500 people attending a rally in London today, as part of a rapidly growing campaign to stop the privatisation of council housing.

Tenants' associations and council unions from all over the country travelled hundreds of miles to lobby MP's on this issue.

The rally was co-ordinated by Defend Council Housing, in opposition to the government's plans to transfer all public housing - at a rate of 200,000 homes per year - to the private sector. The termination of council housing is being presented by government as the only solution to chronic under-investment in this sector.

However, tenants are overwhelmingly opposed to privatisation and are demanding instead that government invest in council housing. Competing for attention with the resignation of Peter Mandelson, today's rally still made a clear impact as hundreds of tenants queued to lobby their MP's.

Protestors also gathered at Westminster Central Hall to hear speakers including Tony Benn MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, union representatives, and members of tenants' associations that have succeeded in forcing privatisation off the agenda. Councils have already lost the argument - and the ballot - in South Beds, Waverley, Wycombe, Tower Hamlets, Cambridge, St Helens, Wokingham, Fenland and Lewisham.

Speaking at today's rally, Alan Water, of Camden Defend Council Housing, said: "This turnout should show government that we are not a Mickey Mouse campaign, going through the motions of organising a lobby and then giving in. We have made it clear that the demands to end privatisation of council housing will be stamped all over the pre-election campaign."
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