Thousands march against the Housing Bill

Thousands of protesters are marching against the government's Housing Bill across central London, calling for the legislation to be withdrawn.

The protesters say the bill is an attack on council house tenants, as it will require councils to change how they bill tenants with a combined income of over £40,000.

Under the new "pay to stay" measures, tenants will be charged by the councils the same as the equivalent private rent sector, which protesters say will force thousands of people from their homes.

The bill will also abolish lifetime tenancies in council houses, meaning the right to stay in a council house indefinitely would be withdrawn and tenancies reviewed every few years.

The average house price in London last year was £536,000 according to the Office of National Statistics, a staggering 12 times the average London pay.

The government's Housing Bill was its pledge to tackle the housing crisis, aiming to promote "starter homes" by selling properties at 20% discount as it tries to make "generation rent into generation buy".

Protesters however say the government should be building more homes themselves, instead of relying on housing associations to do so, and have labelled the bill an "all-out attack on social housing".

The government has defended the bill, with Housing Minister Brandon Lewis telling Sky News: