CROWDFUNDING NEWS – 70% FUNDED AND 13 DAYS TO GO!
GIGANTIC THANKS to all the people who’ve shared and contributed to our crowdfunding campaign thus far. This is an all or nothing campaign, if we don’t reach our target by 22nd October, we don’t get to keep what we raise. There are no guarantees, but we do know from experience that when we all work together, we can reach our shared goals.
JOIN OR SUPPORT THE GUILD HERE BEFORE 22ND OCTOBER!
Below is a summary of just some of our victories tackling the workspace crisis in the last two years:
After a high profile, successful business rates campaign and a meeting of tenants within arches in April of 2017, we decided to meet with senior representatives of both TfL and Network Rail. Due to ongoing meetings and some press, TfL agreed to full transparency of their comparable evidence, and are changing their policies on how they work with their tenants as a direct result of our actions. These policies are due to be announced soon. In addition, our TfL members in review have seen rent reductions and backdated rent has been waived.
Network Rail did also come down in their rental negotiations, but not far enough for many industrial businesses in Mentmore Terrace, London Fields. This is why our member tenants decided to make Guardians of the Arches a national campaign. The EETG organised the campaign launch at Parliament which was attended by tenants from Bristol, Birmingham, Gateshead, Leeds and Manchester. A national group of Network Rail tenants is now busy building GOTA into a national institution with support from our partners the New Economics Foundation.
Jeremy Corbyn and his Shadow Cabinet joined the campaign launch event to show the Labour Party’s support. Liberal Democrat Peers were also present. Conservative and Green Party MP’s and Peers were invited but none of them were able to attend.
Now the Labour Party is using the ‘register of landlords’ in our Affordable Workspace Manifesto in their own national Manifesto!
Mayors John Biggs and Philip Glanville backed all our proposals in at our own manifesto launch in March, and we continue to hold them to account on all their commitments. To hold both Hackney and Tower Hamlets Mayors and TFL to account on their commitments to rental transparency we are creating an app with Founders & Coders, Matthews & Goodman and law firm Gordon LLP, so that our members can access lower rental market evidence for use in their rent reviews.
All this and more was only possible through our members working together! We must build our people power to keep all this work going and get our members on the map before we go to production on 22nd October. This is the final deadline to join in time to get a spot on the new edition of East End Independents! Head to our Spacehive page and pledge your £100 membership fee today!
Guild Rep and TfL tenant Len Maloney said this about our work: “I wouldn’t wish the struggle I have had over the years on anyone, the impact on staff and worried customers who have depended on our services in the community for decades had to be stopped. Finding the East End Trades Guild was our lifesaver.
I became a Guild member and after training sessions in no time, I learned how to negotiate with my landlord to help them see how important it is for my business to stay in Hackney. To be able to sit around a table with senior TfL property representatives and talk to them would never have happened without the help of the Guild and the training I received. To get such a meeting organised and for TfL to turn up gives me hope. TfL is now changing their policies because of our work.
With the help of the EETG I have sat with the Mayor of Hackney in regular meetings expressing what we feel can help the community from our point of view when it comes to small businesses. The EETG has even propelled me to 10 Downing Street to deliver our business rates petition. I find my business in a much better place due to the Guild”.
Listen to our recent interview with Len and Krissie Nicolson with brand new members East London Radio here.