WORKING TOGETHER TO GET HOMES PEOPLE NEED

The Green light for council housing

Congratulations to the  Green Party- the only policical party fighting  this week`s council elections supporting a return to council house building to solve the housing crisis.

 Greens Co-leader Adrian Ramsay (here) said:“We need councillors and national government to work together to deliver the homes people need and can afford to rent and buy, where people need them.

 “Today, speculators and developers are allowed to chase the biggest profits and ignore local needs. Too many villages and towns have seen large-scale developments take place without the community infrastructure expanded alongside, such as GP surgeries, bus services, cycling and walking networks and nurseries and schools.

But change hopefully is on the way and by the time of the  general election, expected next year,  there may be more support for council housing.

The Inside Housing columnist Jules Birch this week drew attention to the change. This is what he says quoting  a government minister:

“Homes for social rent are a fundamental part of our housing stock – a lifeline for those who would struggle to obtain a home at market rates.”

“It’s a sign of how much has changed in the past six years that statements like this from Conservative politicians (in this case housing minister Rachel  Maclean  in a Commons debate last week) become almost routine.

For good measure, Ms Maclean also reaffirmed “the unshakeable commitment of the government to drive up both the quality and the quantity of this nation’s housing stock”.

“The comments are part of a steady conversion by ministers to the merits of a tenure that not so long ago they seemed intent on dismantling.

“ Since Grenfell, there has been a steady softening in tone and relaxation in policy, with Theresa May as prime minister and Michael Gove as housing secretary prominent among the converts.

“However, all the fine words and tweaks to policy are not yet matched by results.

“As MPs from both sides of the house pointed out in the debate, the current output of 7,500 social rent homes a year fails to match the 21,600 a year lost to the Right to Buy and demolition, let alone the 90,000 homes a year that the all-party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee has consistently argued are needed.”

 Community Voice Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents`Federation. Information about the Federation is availableon 01228 522277