MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing
Secretary, responding to the latest
quarterly homelessness statistics,
said:
“When this Conservative Government ends, the national shame
of rising homelessness will be on its political tombstone.
“Homelessness fell at an unprecedented rate under Labour,
but under the Tories even more children will be homeless this
Christmas, with over 80,000 households and 120,000 children now
without a home.
“This is a direct result of Conservative decisions to slash
investment for affordable homes, cut back housing benefit, reduce
funding for homelessness services, and deny protection to private
renters.
“The next Labour Government will end rough sleeping within
a Parliament and tackle the root causes of rising homelessness
with more affordable homes and stronger rights for
renters.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The latest, delayed, homelessness statistics from the
Government show that the number of homeless households in
temporary accommodation has risen again to more than 82,000, and
includes over 123,00 children: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness
Since 2010, the Conservatives have:
· Slashed
investment in affordable homes, leading to an 80% fall in the
number of social rented homes being built:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/758193/Live_Table_1000.xlsx;
· Refused
to back Labour’s proposals for greater stability and control on
costs in the private rented sector;
· Made
deep cuts to housing benefit: https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN05638;
and
· Slashed
funding for homelessness services by 70%: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Financial-sustainabilty-of-local-authorites-2018.pdf.
Labour have committed to ending rough sleeping with our
first term in office, and tackling the wider causes of rising
homelessness:https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Housing-Mini-Manifesto.pdf.
