Arrow point 18 Housing.
Housing has always been a problem. however, if like me you believe everyone has a right to a home, it shouldn’t be. The housing market has been ravaged by both private and political interests. To name but a few there was Rachmanism, council house sales, negative equity, land banking and housing associations.
Having a home is more important than whether it’s bought or rented. In Europe ownership is in the order of 40%, in the UK it is 60%. European rents are more affordable and secure. What we need in the UK is just more homes at an affordable price. What we don’t want is smaller homes for the same or higher prices. Only Hong Kong’s new builds are smaller than the UK. The square area of a new-build house varies enormously across the regions. In London the average is 108.5sqm of floor space, in the north east it is 84sqm, The UK government for the same type of house recommends a minimum of:- 94.4sqm
Land availability should not be a problem. Under 10% of all UK land has some form of construction on it. Using Infilling, brown-field sites and 2% of the 90% land not built on, would solve our immediate and foreseeable needs for housing and infrastructure. To realise this modest ambition would require a change in the law. Only Labour, led by Jeremy Corbyn would have the foresight and courage to do it.
Improve building standards for all new build properties requiring as standard: Solar panels, under-floor heating, heat exchange units, vacuum testing, insulation for (windows, under floors and lofts), lofts to be (boarded, header tanks sited at one end and access made easy with a fitted loft ladder), etc. Research and development aimed at driving down building costs using new materials and techniques. Only Labour will deliver for the many and Jeremy Corbyn’s enthusiasm will make it possible.
Another way of approaching the chronic home shortages is the Tory way. They support the Home Builders Federation, a body making excessive profits from struggling first-time buyers. They allow land-banking to take place but condemn the practice. They are housed in properties gaining value monthly and driven by market solutions which serve them and their kind very well. Is this what the UK needs?
I don’t think so.
What we and the country need is a change of direction. We need a labour victory and Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister. Remember:
“Cometh the hour cometh the man”.
Vote Labour Thursday 8th June 2017
Vote Jeremy Corbyn