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