General Debate on Housing and Homes

In England, we face an acute housing crisis, one driven by a long-term failure to build enough homes, and in particular enough affordable homes. The results of which are stark:

• 300,000 families homeless in England, including 127,000 children;

• 78,000 households living in temporary accommodation;

• Average house prices 8 times income for ordinary working families.

To resolve these challenges, we must dramatically increase the delivery of genuinely affordable homes to rent and buy. This needs to be achieved by a combination of increasing the number provided by private developers as part of Section 106 planning obligations and by unleashing a new wave of public sector housebuilding comparable to the post-war years, one based on the principles found in the Shelter’s New Civic Housebuilding report.

Building these homes is only one part of solving our housing crisis though. We must also keep working to make sure that the homes we do have are affordable and high quality – regardless of whether they are privately owned, or rented.