Response to Conservative conference announcement on shared ownership

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Today’s package of housing policies offers nothing to the average renter who has no savings of their own, and fails to reverse the decimation of social housing in this country.

“Research shows that 83% of social renters have no savings at all, so plans to extend the offer of shared ownership to new housing association tenants simply don’t add up. Worse still, this risks losing even more of the few social homes we have left – spelling disaster for the millions stuck on housing waiting lists.  

“The government is in danger of missing a huge opportunity. Voters of every political persuasion have made it clear they want more social housing, not less. It’s high time the government listened – the only way to end the housing emergency is to build three million homes in the next 20 years.”