“This Government’s failure is locking out thousands of families and young people from the housing market in Bridgwater and West Somerset.”
New figures from Labour show that under this Government more people are struggling to get an affordable home to rent and to buy.
The figures show a startling national lack of output in building affordable homes built in the last year, down nearly 50% compared with the last year of the last Labour Government. Furthermore, the affordable homes for rent built for those in need last year was just 2 per cent of what is needed – it would take at least 55 years to clear waiting lists at current rates.
The Labour Party, adopting many of the recommendations in last week’s Lyons review, has announced a series of measures to tackle the housing crisis and have pledged that with a Labour Government, there will be more help for small and medium-sized builders to get Britain building.
Co-ordinated approach to increasing Housing supply
The next Labour Government will establish a new cross-government task force, to include all the major Whitehall departments, to drive a co-ordinated approach to increasing housing supply and tackling the housing crisis. It will also introduce fast-track planning on small sites of less than ten homes.
Commenting on the local figures, Labour candidate Mick Lerry said:
“Ian Liddle–Grainger MP might say the housing market is back on track, the truth is this Government has presided over the lowest level of house building in peacetime since the 1920s”.
“In Sedgemoor 50 affordable homes for homeownership or rent were provided in 2009/10 and only 10 in 2013/14. In West Somerset 10 affordable homes were provided in 2009/10 and 10 in 2013/14. Yet the waiting list in Sedgemoor stands at 4,757 and for West Somerset it is 1,093”.
“Now we learn that the number of affordable homes for aspiring first-time buyers has collapsed and at current rates it would take decades to build the homes for those most in need.
“Wherever you are in the housing market, the Tories are failing you – unless you own a home worth over 2 million pounds.”
Commenting on Labour’s plans, Mick Lerry said:
“We have set out the first serious plan in a generation for building homes at the scale and speed our nation needs”.
“Our plan will see 200,000 homes built a year by 2020 so that everyone can have a decent home at a price they can afford.”
27th October 2014
Cllr Mick Lerry – Leader of the Labour Group on SDC
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset
Mobile: 07775905080
Email: michael.lerry@btinternet.com