Labour pledges major social housing boost
Labour has said it will deliver “the biggest boost in affordable and social housing for a generation”.
In her speech to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool yesterday, deputy leader and shadow levelling up secretary Angela Rayner said a Labour government would have the 300,000-homes-a-year target as a “baseline”.
Rayner joked to delegates: “The prime minister’s speech didn’t even mention ‘housing’ once. No doubt that’s because his housing policy is the same as his new smoking policy – increase the price year on year, so eventually no one can buy!”
Labour has said it will deliver “the biggest boost in affordable and social housing for a generation”.
In her speech to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool yesterday, deputy leader and shadow levelling up secretary Angela Rayner said a Labour government would have the 300,000-homes-a-year target as a “baseline”.
Rayner joked to delegates: “The prime minister’s speech didn’t even mention ‘housing’ once. No doubt that’s because his housing policy is the same as his new smoking policy – increase the price year on year, so eventually no one can buy!”
She added that Labour would also “strengthen the rules to prevent developers from wriggling out of their responsibilities” and added that the party would speed up the building of new social and affordable housing by reforming the planning system.
In addition, elected local leaders would be given the powers they need “to stand up to vested interests in building new developments”, through a specialist government Take Back Control Unit.
Funding pots would also be made more flexible, to prevent cash intended for housing being left unspent. “This summer Michael Gove handed back almost £2bn destined for affordable housing to the Treasury, because he couldn’t spend it,” she said. “A Labour government will right this wrong.”
She said Labour would “unlock government grants to deliver new homes by making the Affordable Homes Programme more flexible so that every penny gets out the door to build the homes people need”.
Rayner also pledged to push through a rental reform bill, delivering where “the Tories have failed for four and a half years”. Under the bill, no fault evictions woould be banned, while “the mediaeval leasehold system” would face “root and branch reforms”.
She also confirmed plans to give first-time buyers “first dibs” on new developments in their communities, and a comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme “for those who don’t have access to the bank of mum and dad”.
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