Dismore Calls For New Homes To Tackle Cost of Living Crisis
Andrew Dismore. Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden and Labour’s PPC for Hendon has called on the Government to take action to make home ownership a realistic aspiration for working people and rents more affordable by building much needed homes.
According to independent experts, under the current Government we are building less than half the homes a year we need to meet demand. The gap between the number of homes we build each year and what we need is unprecedented at over 100,000 each year.
A housing shortage, combined with the cost of living crisis – with falling wages and rising bills – is making rents increasingly expensive and putting home home ownership out of reach for millions of working people.
Back in 1997 it took an average family just three years to save for a proper deposit on a home but today it takes 22 years. Private sector rents are now at the highest level ever recorded.
One Nation Labour has plans to increase the supply of new homes in England above 200,000 a year by the end of the next Parliament. To ensure plans are in place on day one of a Labour Government, Ed Miliband has just launched a Housing Commission chaired by Sir Michael Lyons has to draw up a road map for delivering this ambition.
Andrew Dismore said:
“The security of knowing you can afford to live in your home is the cornerstone of a strong society. It’s a basic aspiration that working people want for themselves and their children – one that should be open to everyone.
“The Mayor is doing little to help the problems of families in Hendon, as new homes are increasingly sold to overseas buyers and are often not even marketed in Britain.
“Many people in Hendon are facing a cost of living crisis and are struggling with housing costs. By getting Britain building again a Labour Government will help tackle ever-spiralling private rents and will make home ownership an achievable dream once more for those that are currently priced out.”
Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, said:
“David Cameron is presiding over the lowest levels of homes built in peacetime since the 1920s and already families are suffering from some of the worst housing shortages for a generation. This is now part of a cost-of-living crisis for millions of people for whom the dream of home ownership is fading into the distance.
“At this time of year, when family is so important, there are parents who fear their children will never get a place of their own. And there are millions of young people who fear they may never be able to get on the housing ladder; never invite their parents round for Christmas dinner.
“If families are to prosper and our country is to succeed, Britain needs new homes.”
[1] Mind the Gap, Housing Supply in a Cold Climate, Smith Institute, 2011: http://www.smith-institute.org.uk/file/MindtheGapHousingSupplyinaColdClimate.pdf
[2] “Average rents across England and Wales hit highest level ever recorded – at £757 per month”
(LSL Property Services, October 2013) :http://www.lslps.co.uk/documents/buy_to_let_index_sep13.pdf
The Housing Commission will draw up a road map to deliver at least 200,000 homes a year by the end of the next Parliament and set out plans to deliver:
- A Right to grow: Giving local authorities that want to expand a “right to grow” with access to a fast-track planning process to resolve any disputes with neighbouring authorities that are blocking development and support to accelerate the pace of development.
- Use it or lose it powers: Giving councils proper compulsory purchase powers to tackle land hoarding and powers to charge developers escalating fees where they are banking land with planning permission.
- New Towns: Delivering New Towns and Garden Cities in specific locations across the country.
- Reform of the Housing Revenue Account system: Creating a less bureaucratic and more flexible system that enables Councils to build.
- Backing for communities: Giving communities a greater share of the benefits from development.
Further details can be found at the website www.lyonshousingreview.org
