Labour To Build 155,000 Social Rented Homes A Year

A motion to the Labour Party conference has committed the party to a policy of building 155,000 social rented council homes a year – with immediate effect when in Government. And conference could also back councils having the powers and resources to take housing associations under direct council control. The housebuilding motion references Shelter’s ‘A Vision for Social Housing’ report identifying a need for 3.1 million new social rented homes over the next 20 years – an average of 155,000 per year. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/motion-commits-labour-to-building-155000-social-rented-homes-a-year/

Rent Control The Way Forward Say Labour

The first political conference of 2017 kicked off in Brighton on 27 September, with Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn announcing that if they win the next General Election, they will introduce rent controls for the private rented sector. Rent control has been promised by Labour as far back as 2015, with their Party Manifesto claiming, "For the 11 million people who rent privately, we will legislate to make three-year tenancies the norm, with a ceiling on excessive rent rises" and later in their 2017 manifesto "Labour will make new three-year tenancies the norm, with an inflation cap on rent rises.” Read more on the ARLA website.

Cameron's Home-Owning Dream In Spotlight As House Building Stalls

It was the centre-piece of his conference speech. The Prime Minister said he wanted a "national crusade to get homes built". The first set of significant house building figures since then have just been published. They are from the National House Building Council - which provides building certificates for new homes. And they make for pretty gloomy reading. Overall, registrations for new homes fell by 2% in the last three months compared with the same period last year. In the private sector, new building registrations fell by 1%. While in the public sector - that's largely homes built by housing associations which tend to be more often in the "affordable" category - the number was down a more precipitate 4%. Download the figures from the NHBC website.

Young People Face 'Housing Exile', Cabinet Minister to Warn

Many young people are being "exiled" from the neighbourhoods they grew up in because of a lack of affordable housing, a cabinet minister is to warn. Communities Secretary Greg Clark will tell council leaders it is a "defining test" for any government to provide homes to keep the "chain of community". The four candidates vying to lead Labour on a permanent basis - Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall and Jeremy Corbyn - will also speak at the annual Local Government Association conference in Harrogate, setting out ideas on housing and decentralisation. Read more on the BBC website.