John Healey responds to new reserach from the Local Government Association

John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, responding to new research from the Local Government Association, said:

“This report lays bare the way Conservative Ministers are letting developers cash in without making any contribution to the community.

“The Government’s approach gives developers a completely free hand to build poorer quality homes that aren’t affordable to local people.

“Instead of outsourcing all responsibility for new housebuilding to big developers, Ministers need to do much more to increase the quality as well as the quantity of new homes and back Labour’s plan to build the genuinely affordable homes the country needs.”

Ends

Notes to editors

• ·         New research from the Local Government Association reveals that nearly one in 10 new homes over the last two years was converted from an office and included no affordable housing or supporting investment in infrastructure such as roads, schools and health services. They estimate this has meant the potential loss of more than 7,500 desperately-needed affordable homes.

• ·         A number of organisations have raised concerns about the impact of the government’s changes to the planning process which have allowed this to happen, and particularly the loss of affordable homes, and building of poorer quality housing, including Shelter, London Councils, and the National Housing Federation: https://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/372369/NHF_Shelter_change_of_use_submission.pdf;   https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/download/file/fid/16326.

• ·         Labour’s plans are available here: https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Housing-Mini-Manifesto.pdf.