Monday, 27 January 2020

MORE COUNCIL HOUSING OR MORE HOME OWNERSHIP?


A great divide fueling  the housing 
crisis
In  Whitehall and in town halls throughout the country the year 2020 promises to be significant for  housing and the crisis it faces.

In Whitehall we have a new government in place and here in Carlisle also there has been big changes recently as a  new party took control of the city council.

Those working for housing associations, councils and private builders are waiting with bated breath to see just how central to Boris Johnson’s new government housing will be.

And in Carlisle, the waiting is for just how successful the opposition Labour Party will be  in its campaign  to get council house building going again in face of refusal by the controlling Conservatives.
 In Whitehall there is tension between housing secretary Robert Jenrick and housing minister Esther McVey (pictured above) over the use of government grant, claims a new report.

The row, which has been penned as a ‘class war’, emphasises Jenrick’s focus on first-time buyers, while McVey – described as “blue collar”– wants to spend the cash on council housing, particularly for new Conservative voters who switched from Labour in the last election.

The report quotes a Whitehall source as saying: “It’s a difficult dynamic. Jenrick wants to help more people to buy their own homes. He wants the government to focus on owner-occupation.

“But Esther says we should be building more council and social housing. There’s no love lost there.”

The Tory manifesto outlines a promise to both increase home ownership and the supply of social housing and affordable homes.

In Carlisle there is  no division in  the Labour ranks, just a new determination by two councillors backed by their Labour  councillor colleagues to re-start  building council houses.

Councillors Ruth Alcroft and Lisa Brown intend to continue  to pursue the issue after some success  in previous attempts.

 
Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 52227

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