HOUSING activists and experts united yesterday to plan a campaign designed to smash property speculators during a Mipim "counter conference".

The Cities for People Not for Profit conference kicked off yesterday evening with speakers from local and international campaigns addressing issues like evictions and the demolition of council estates.

New Economics Foundation researcher James Meadway said: "The conference matters because while the developers and speculators are licking their chops at the prospect of yet more fat gains to be squeezed out of London's property market, it's the rest of society that pay for their profits."