Labour plan to build 150,000 new homes.
plan to build 150,000 homes by 2020 |
150,000. No where near enough.
The shortage of housing in this country
has been an outrage for decades. Families and young people, face the
prospect of years living in overcrowded or inadequate conditions as
builders and speculators grow rich on providing a few homes at
inflated prices while receiving government (tax payers) cash
incentives, for building a small number of "low cost"
housing. In the rented sector, social housing is practically non
existent and in the private market, rental prices are on an ever
increasing spiral. In conditions where people have no alternatives
for a home, they have no option but to pay the inflated price.
Political parties have made capital
from this situation over many years by dangling to many desperate
people, the prospect of "more homes", in exchange for their
votes. The historical reality has always been subsequent
disappointment but with the promise repeated next time around. Today,
it is the Labour Party coming out with its promise to spend in order
to build 150,000 homes by 2020 with the emphasis being on "first
time buyers". No mention of those who are not and will never be
"buyers" of any kind, first time or otherwise.
For far too long, politicians have paid
lip service to solving the housing problem without any real
commitment to resolving the issue. The provision of a few catchy
sound bites and "impressive monetary figures" may deceive a
few voters but will do nothing to provide homes.
What this country desperately demands
is the provision of a minimum of 300,000 new homes of which 60% will
be "social housing" provided by either local councils or
housing societies or a mixture of both, and of the remainder the
provision of a substantial number of "low cost" homes for
those who choose to purchase.
The party to which I once belonged,
sounds little different from Conservative or Liberal Democrat when
it comes to housing. They will all make the right noises in general
with a few minor variations in detail and all leaning towards
“buyers”, but in the final analysis will do little to tackle the
problem.
Vague “promises” without substance
or intent.
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