SILENCE ABOUT CRISIS IS `DEEPLY CONCERNING`

 

Election’s elephant in the room...

housing

There are huge gaps in the electoral promises we are seeing…and the country needs bold solutions, writes Southwark Council’s Opposition Leader Victor Chamberlain in  the following  article in in the social housing magazine Inside Housing:

The absence of housing from the election debate is puzzling and deeply concerning. There are many serious competing issues in this election, but the housing crisis is holding back generations, forcing millions into unsuitable and unaffordable homes, and denting our economy and prosperity.

 Tackling the housing crisis must be the foundation upon which the next government builds a more progressive country.

As a councillor in Southwark, I am acutely aware of the housing crisis’s depth and its immediate effects. Southwark was recently described as “ground zero” for the housing crisis on The News Agents podcast and, sadly, it is an apt description.

There are currently 17,700 households on the housing waiting list, up by over 7,000 in just five years. Southwark has the highest number of empty council homes in the country (1,500) while spending tens of millions on temporary accommodation. Entire schools are filled with children without a secure home.

At the council’s current social housebuilding rate, it will take 145 years to meet the needs of those on the waiting list. We face major-works scandals and the council has just had to refer itself to the regulator over safety concerns.

The human impact is severe: families and the vulnerable are left in overcrowded, unsafe or unaffordable housing for years.

“We need to encourage voters to demand better housing policies and attention from their politicians”

Southwark is just a snapshot of the national crisis. According to the National Housing Federation, over 1.3 million people are on housing waiting lists across the UK, with a combined waiting time of 1,844 years. Local councils, bearing the statutory responsibility for housing, have been stretched to financial breaking point by years of austerity and funding cuts.

YouGov polling shows 27% of people aged 25-49 say housing is the most important issue facing the country, rising to 40% for 18-24 year-olds. For millions paying unaffordable rents and wondering when, if ever, they will be able to buy a house, this is the most pressing issue.

These younger people are the middle-income earners that are the engine of our economy and the providers of vital social services. If they cannot afford good-quality accommodation close to work, our economy and public services will feel the strain.

For any party to offer a real, positive future for the UK, they must outline how they would tackle the housing crisis. Yet, housing has been glaringly absent from the top of the election debate.

In the past few weeks, the major parties published their housing policies with little fanfare, especially in comparison with other policy areas like immigration or tax.

Ambitious housebuilding targets from the Liberal Democrats and Labour do point us in the right direction. Planning reform, releasing low-quality green-belt land for development and finally ending Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions are welcome and meaningful commitments, too, in both manifestos, but the scale of this emergency is greater still.

“Most importantly, the next government needs to commit to long-term, sustainable funding for local councils”

There are huge gaps in what is being offered, especially considering the wide range of interventions required to solve the housing crisis. Housebuilding targets are a good start, but we also need legislation and substantial funding to empower local government to regain its position as a major home builder.

The Right to Buy policy has seriously diminished social housing stock, while waiting lists have skyrocketed – and that won’t stop just through tweaking the policy, as Labour plans to do. Power has to be given to local authorities through legislation, to remove it entirely to protect social housing stock in areas of greatest need.

Although encouraging noises are being made around planning reform, we need more detail on what those policies will be. The next government has the opportunity to unlock vast areas of land for potential housing. Parties must outline how they plan to do that while protecting the environment and biodiversity. The need for sustainable development is too great for empty commitments in this area.

Most importantly, the next government needs to commit to long-term, sustainable funding for local councils. Local authorities need to know they can commit to ambitious housebuilding projects if we are to make any inroads in addressing this crisis.

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

 

YES, A LOT OF FINE WORDS BUT...

 

 

 Not much for the homeless in these

manifestoes

So now that the political parties have all issued their 2024 manifestos for the general election, can we be optimistic about the prospects for ending the homelessness and housing crisis, and for the future well-being of the social housing sector and its residents? 

 

 David Bogle(above) chair of Homes for Cathy, a national alliance of housing organisations, asks this question in an analysis of the homelessness policies – or lack of – in the leading parties’ general election manifestos.  His article,  from the magazine Inside Housing  goes on:

Well, having had a look at what has been issued by the major parties in England, the answer is, ‘Don’t get your hopes up too much’! 

As you would expect there are a lot of fine words, but almost all the ‘commitments’ lack the detail that would give us confidence that they can be delivered. 

With the exception of the Greens, housing and homelessness doesn’t feature prominently in the parties’ manifestos. For Labour, housing is not one of the “five national missions” or the six “first steps for change”. 

For the Conservatives, the housing promises don’t appear until Page 53 of the manifesto. For the Liberal Democrats, the housing section of the manifesto is at Chapter 14.

However, the three ‘main’ parties do all make commitments on homelessness. The bravest commitment comes from the Lib Dems, which promise to “end homelessness within the next Parliament”. Labour promises a cross-government strategy, while the Conservatives promise a continuation of their current programmes. 

On housing numbers, again the Lib Dems lead the bidding with a huge 380,000 homes a year, of which 150,000 a year are to be ‘social homes’. 

The Conservatives pledge 1.6 million homes over the next parliament, while Labour go for 1.5 million homes in the same period. Interestingly, neither Labour nor the Conservatives have committed on social/affordable housing numbers. 

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