Nothing affects people’s daily lives more than housing. It’s hard to have a decent life without a decent home.

But there is a chasm between the level of public concern and the ability, or willingness, of our political system to solve the housing crisis.

This impotence reflects the cumulative failure of a policy dominated by and at the mercy of “the market.”

But the post-war Labour government was more indebted than today’s and faced a housing crisis at least as severe. It built one million homes in five years.

We’ve had marches for peace, jobs and the NHS. Now we need a March for Homes based on a broad alliance from right across the movement.

Our trade unions, in particular, must prioritise housing. Representing working people doesn’t stop at the end of the working day.

The housing crisis is blighting the lives of union members who are already struggling to keep their heads above water.

The Tories want to turn back the housing clock 100 years and the Labour Party isn’t doing enough to stop them.

But a century ago, thousands of tenants demanded change.

Rent strikes across the country, notably in Glasgow, forced the government to impose controls on private landlords and begin the process of large-scale council housebuilding. We must recapture that spirit on the March for Homes on January 31.

The March for Homes is demanding:

Rent control

Rents for all tenures are out of control. In the unregulated private rented sector, they’ve risen by 13 per cent a year since 2010 and tenants spend an average of 40 per cent of their income on rent.

The introduction of so-called “affordable rents” by the government will push up rents to 80 per cent of the market level for some council and housing association tenants.

Not surprisingly, the housing benefit bill is expected to reach £25 billion by 2017, but 40 per cent of claimants are in work.

Forty per cent of housing benefit ends up in the pockets of private landlords, at a cost of £9.5bn.

An end to the demolition of good-quality council homes

Across London, scores of council estates are facing profit-driven redevelopment that will reduce the number of council homes and replace them with expensive private apartments.

Established communities are in danger of being destroyed because people can’t afford to live in them.

Scrapping the bedroom tax and benefit caps

The cynical Con-Dem government has tried to blame the housing crisis on poor social housing tenants, including people with disabilities.

But the hated bedroom tax is a failed policy. It costs more to collect than it raises and has done nothing to increase the supply of homes.

A national programme of council housebuilding

The real reason we have a housing crisis is that councils have been stopped from building homes and housing associations haven’t filled the gap.

In 1970, 350,000 homes were built in the UK, split almost evenly between councils and the private sector, with a tiny number built by housing associations.

By 2014 the number of homes completed had fallen by two-thirds, almost all of them built by private developers, only a quarter by housing associations and virtually none by councils.

Secure tenancies for all

As well as pushing up rents, the government is deliberately weakening the legal rights for social housing tenants by introducing fixed-term tenancies.

Meanwhile, private-sector tenants face the possibility of eviction every six months.

Short-term tenancies allow slumlords to profiteer and get rid of tenants who demand repairs they’re entitled to.

High turnover also damages our communities, while the housing crisis stokes the bigotry Ukip feeds on.

Decent pay and conditions for housing and care workers

As in other sectors, the creeping privatisation of housing has been accompanied by attacks on workers’ pay and conditions. This is bad for workers and the services they provide.

The strike at St Mungo’s Broadway last year shows that determined action can win, but it is essential that workers and tenants unite to fight the cuts.

Nobody doubts we have a desperate housing crisis. Even Tories recognise that years of underinvestment have left millions unable to find and keep a decent home they can afford.

When politicians ask for our votes on May 7, we must ask them what they are going to do about it.

Housing hasn’t been a key election issue since 1979 when Margaret Thatcher campaigned on the policy that has done so much damage since — the Right to Buy.

In recent elections housing has been reduced to the margins while the underlying causes of the crisis have accumulated.

The labour and trade union movement must make sure this doesn’t happen in 2015.

That’s why tenant organisations, trade unions and housing campaigners are coming together on the March for Homes.

The demonstration was origi

nally called by Southwark Defend Council Housing and the South London People’s Assembly, but has since received support from over 50 organisations across London, including the Unite housing workers branch, Bectu, Generation Rent, Disabled People Against Cuts and the inspirational New Era and Focus E15 campaigns.

Individuals who have added their names include Diane Abbott, Jeremy Corbyn, Ken Loach, Steve Murphy (Ucatt), Rebecca Winson (GMB Young London) and Heather Wakefield (Unison).

The March for Homes will start at noon on Saturday January 31 from St Mary’s Churchyard, Newington Butts, London SE1 6SQ (near Elephant and Castle Tube) and march to City Hall. A feeder march from east London is also being planned — details to follow. For more information visit www.marchforhomes.org.