The Government made a big announcement this week on affordable housing. Everyone deserves to live in a decent, safe, affordable home. Too many families are stuck on a waiting list, living in accommodation which is inadequate or in some cases without a permanent roof over their head.
The biggest problem is in London but in other regions, including ours, lack of decent housing is also a problem. Governments have talked about the problem and some councils like our own have a decent record but much more is needed.
That is why this Government has brought forward Social and Affordable Home Programme. £39 billion over ten years, to build more social housing, working with councils and housing associations. It also relies on councils keeping more of the receipts from the sale of council houses and investing that in new homes.
Social housing – council houses – have been part of our national story for over a century since the Wheatley Housing Act of 1924 in the first Labour Government. Council housing, alongside education, social security and the NHS were the platforms upon which working class children were able to get on in life and be the people they were born to be.
It’s why we as a country assumed the next generation would be better off than ours. For many reasons that has stalled and we are all paying the price. That’s why along with the opportunities for more bricklayers, electricians, plumbers and the other jobs associated with house building we need more social housing starts, which is why this announcement is so important.