Description: This film is shot around a large council estate in the inner London borough of Southwark and features real council tenants and council officials. It’s presented by a “television reporter” giving it a voice of authority, and the tone of the film is of an investigative report in the style of one of the news magazine programmes of the time. The participants are of different ethnicities representative of south London in the 1980’s and are wearing the clothes and hairstyles of the time.

The film opens with some general views of the estate, which has a typical 1970’s structure, with concrete walkways, balconies and flats several stories high. There is a Londis store and chemist in the background among shops on the lower level. The reporter tells us that uptake of rent rebates is low and the council is concerned. Street vox pops with some local residents give various reasons as to why they haven’t applied – mostly because they didn’t think they’d be entitled to anything.

Next, we move into the flats for interviews with two residents who have successfully claimed the rebate and they explain the process in more detail. We meet a young girl living on her own and also a single mother with her four children. Both say that the rebate has helped them financially and that people should find out if they are entitled to it. The flats are decorated in the style of the day with highly patterned wallpaper.

We then move to a housing office where we see a meeting between a couple who are enquiring about getting the rebate and a member of the council’s housing department. He tells them that they should qualify. The husband expresses surprise that the form is so straightforward. The wife expresses concerns about confidentiality of information and is reassured. The meeting appears to be staged, with frequently asked questions put into the mouths of the applicants, but the trio does not appear to be professional actors.

Outside again and two council officials are interviewed by the reporter. Jim Payne, Housing Officer, reiterates that all claims will be handled with discretion and that if anyone is unsure about their entitlement they should claim anyway, even if their wages fluctuate and their circumstances change. Cllr. Charles Sawyer goes on to further explain why local authorities need to encourage everyone to apply for rebates as the money for the subsidies comes from central government. He says that people should not be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for this extra money as they are entitled to it.

The presenter only appears in the shot at the beginning and end of the film, however, we hear her probing questions off camera throughout. The film looks professionally shot and edited with different size shots, cutaways, reverse angles and name captions.