It is time for squatters to act NOW to save squatting with the House of Lords having their committee stage this Wednesday.

 

"The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill which includes Clause 130, added at the last-minute, to criminalise squatting in residential buildings is currently passing through the Lords," said Squash on its website

 

"The bill is at the committee stage, which means the Lords will gradually read through every clause in the Bill, and discuss any amendments to each clause. Any Lord can join the debate, and any Lord can table an amendment. Every amendment will be discussed.

"Unlike MPs, Lords don’t have constituents. This means that anyone is allowed to contact any Lord – but it’s not always easy. We have produced a briefing for Lords, and have been busy contacting as many sympathetic Lords as we can lay our hands on.

"So far two amendments we support have been proposed by some Lords. The first, would strike the clause entirely and the second, tabled by John Mcdonnell MP and Homeless Charity Crisis previously in the Commons, states that any new law only covers residential property left empty for less than 6 months," said SQUASH.

We now need your help

If you can help us brief the Lords, email parliament@squashcampaign.org and we will send you our briefing, a template letter and details of a Lord for you to contact.

Please take a minute or three to fight for our freespaces. If only 1% of all UK squatters responded to this call we should have at least 300 people to change the Lords' opinions. Already some Lords have declared their support for squatting; it is time to show them they are not alone and we really care.