In order to solve the housing crisis in the UK, funding for councils to build more affordable housing and restoring legal aid for housing advice are needed. The Labour Party has already put forward a number of policies related to these issues as part of its plan to ensure everyone has the right to a safe and decent home.
In a speech in Manchester, the Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon said that the withdrawal of legal advice in many housing cases has weakened tenants’ rights and benefitted rogue landlords; therefore the party will restore legal aid for housing advice that has the potential to help up to 50,000 households a year.
“Prevention is better than cure and this policy will help stop problems like damp, leaking roofs or faulty electrics from spiralling out of control and causing tenants even greater misery. The withdrawal of legal advice in many housing cases has weakened tenants’ rights, which can only benefit rogue landlords. Restoring this legal aid for housing advice will help tens of thousands of people resolve their housing issues and regain their housing rights,” he said.
Meanwhile, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, pledged to build enough housing and make sure that housing is affordable to those who need it. At the launch of the party’s affordable housing review he said that if it comes to power it would deliver a million genuinely affordable homes over 10 years, the majority of which would be for social rent.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of the independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), admitted that the policy announcement should encourage the current Government to create more affordable homes.
“This recognises the scale of the housing crisis and why we need to drive up the supply of low cost rented homes. It puts pressure on the Government to match this ambition and deliver the low cost rented homes struggling families desperately need. The Government’s forthcoming social housing green paper must commit to increasing the supply of low-cost rented homes in England,” he explained.
