Shelter: National housing debate sees major parties battle on the housing emergency for first time

From rough sleeping to building on the greenbelt – the only national housing debate sees major parties battle on the housing emergency for first time  

The major political parties answered hard-hitting questions from those on the frontline of the housing emergency tonight (Wednesday 4th December) in the first and only election debate on the topic. 

The National Housing Hustings panel comprised John Healey (Labour, Shadow Secretary of State for Housing), Sian Berry (Green Party, co-Leader), Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat) and Luke Hall (Conservative, HCLG Minister). Top journalist Ayesha Hazarika chaired the event. 

The non-selective hustings was hosted by a group of organisations from across the housing sector. The 200 capacity crowd included everyone from former rough sleepers to single parents living in temporary accommodation to top British architects.   

Affordable housing was the critical issue of the night, along with questions on rough sleeping, rural housing, housing benefit, and building safety and efficiency.

There was no consensus between the panellists on how much of their income people should have to spend on housing. Tom Brake said 30%, while John Healey and Sian Berry agreed that a third was reasonable, and Luke Hall suggested 50% of income could go on housing costs.

John Healey said how a Labour Government would be committed to 150,000 more social rent homes per year by the end of parliament, helping first-time buyers, legislating for renters' rights and end rough sleeping. 

‘There is no solution to the housing crisis without social housing at its heart. If we want housing to be affordable, we have to build more affordable homes. Public housing can be people’s best choice, not the last resort.” 

Luke Hall said the Conservatives are building the homes of all tenures across our country, delivering 1.5 million new homes since 2010, they also committed £9 billion to deliver more affordable homes. He committed to a Conservative government ending the LHA freeze in April 2020. 

He said, “We’re committed to and investing in our affordable housing programme, which includes social rent. But there is more that we want to do to ensure that everyone has access to stable, long-term accommodation. We are also moving our manifesto pledge to end rough sleeping forward to 2024 because this issue is so important to us.” 

Sian Berry said her party would build over a million new council homes over ten years and improve renters’ rights and the control communities have over their land and homes.  

“Homeless people are not the weather, they don’t fall from the sky and need sweeping up like fallen leaves. The Green manifesto would fix the tree - root and branch - the system that has too many gaps for people to fall through, too little progress, too few rights, too much injustice.” 

Tom Brake said the Liberal Democrats will build 300,000 new homes a year, including 100,000 social homes. And that the party will retrofit every home to cut emissions, reduce bills and end fuel poverty.  

He said, “Consider an investment in public housing as a matter of public pride. We go back to the need for a supply of affordable housing, that’s why we want to increase the supply of council homes people can afford.”