The news that seven of Britain’s largest housebuilders—Barratt Redrow, Bellway, Berkeley Group, Bloor Homes, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, and Vistry—have agreed to pay £100m to settle allegations of market-rigging is a slap in the face to every renter and aspiring homeowner in Cheltenham.

These corporate giants, caught sharing sensitive pricing and sales data to keep house prices sky-high, have been let off with a fine that’s a mere fraction of their billions in profits—Persimmon alone made £1.1bn in 2018, and the sector’s margins have hit 32% in recent years. This isn’t justice; it’s a rigged system protecting the powerful while Cheltenham’s tenants are crushed by rents averaging £1,200 a month and house prices 12 times median incomes.

While Henry Boot, the developer behind Cheltenham’s £1bn Golden Valley project, isn’t directly implicated in this scandal, the timing couldn’t be more damning. Cheltenham is undergoing a transformation, with Golden Valley set to deliver 2,500 homes and a National Cyber Innovation Centre next to GCHQ. Henry Boot, through its subsidiary HBD, is a major player in this ecosystem, working hand-in-glove with Cheltenham Borough Council.

Yet, this collusion scandal proves that the housebuilding industry—Henry Boot included—operates in a murky world where profit trumps people. Even if Henry Boot wasn’t part of this specific probe, they swim in the same waters, benefiting from the same market dynamics that let developers control land, drip-feed homes, and keep prices out of reach.

What Cheltenham needs now, more than ever, is a council that’s fiercely independent, one that looks at developers with a cynical eye and holds them to account. The Golden Valley project promises 45% affordable housing, but with over 2,000 households on Cheltenham’s housing waiting list, we’ve heard these promises before.

Already the council has colluded with developers to reduce the social housing promised.

Developers like Henry Boot, Barratt Redrow, Bloor Homes and Persimmon, active across Gloucestershire, have a history of prioritizing luxury homes over the needs of ordinary people. We need a council that ensures every promise is met, not one distracted by the industry’s influence.

But what do we have instead? A council too cozy with developers, and a Liberal Democrat leadership tainted by donations from the housebuilding and property development industries.

We’re not alleging corruption, but distraction. When Cheltenham Liberal Democrats accept thousands in donations from developers, their focus shifts. They think about the interests of those writing the cheques, not the tenants paying half their wages in rent or the families stuck in substandard housing. The Liberal Democrats’ ties to property developers show where their priorities lie—and it’s not with us.

This scandal is a wake-up call. Cheltenham’s tenants deserve a council free from the grip of big developers, one that puts the 35% of council tax paying renters first.

It's time to put an end to developer donations and underline a commitment to transparency in all planning decisions. We need a council that will scrutinize projects like Golden Valley, ensuring affordable homes are truly affordable and delivered on time. The housebuilding industry has shown its true colours—collusion, profiteering, and contempt for the public. It’s time for Cheltenham Borough Council to break free from their influence and fight for the people who call this town home.

The Cheltenham Tenants Union will hold them to account, and we call on every renter to join us in demanding a housing system that works for us, not the corporate elite.

The Cheltenham Tenant Union is on a campaign to build membership. Like all unions, strength in numbers gets us heard by those who don't want to listen.