Protesters marched across London to demand better housing.

The March For Homes included campaigners from London-based community groups, tenant organisations and students from London universities. Thousands of campaigners gathered at two sites - in Shoreditch, in east London, and at Elephant and Castle in the south east - and marched to City Hall where they met and held a rally.

The march was a protest against policies which they linked for a wide-range of issues such as soaring rents, loss of social housing and rising homelessness.

A spokesman for the Focus E15 campaign which led the east London leg of the protest along with the New Era housing group, said: "It was fantastically well supported despite the pouring rain. it was really noisy and there was a strong community spirit."

Protesters, who carried banners which read For Sale The Heart of London and Stop Playing Monopoly With Homes, were calling for rent controls, cuts to rents and not benefits, affordable and secure homes for all along with better pay and conditions for housing workers.

Jasmin Stone, of the Focus E15 Campaign, said: "I'm marching because we need to stand together side by side, hand in hand, fighting for decent homes for all."

Defend Council Housing, People's Assembly (London), plus community campaigns such as New Era, Focus E15, Fred Wigg & John Walsh (tower blocks) and Our West Hendon were among supporters of the march.

It was also backed by campaigns including Generation Rent, Hackney and Tower Hamlets private renters, the Bectu and Unite Housing Workers unions, Disabled People Against Cuts (Dpac), Radical Housing Network and the London Green Party.