John shares his thoughts on affordable housing.
‘The old cinema site in Tunbridge Wells is being built on at last but will not contain any affordable housing, so where on earth are the nurses, police officers and teachers who need to work in Tunbridge Wells going to be getting on the housing ladder, or at least having a rent they can afford? The Green Party is going to create 150,000 council houses across the country every year, so that’s equivalent to 150 a year in Tunbridge Wells. That gives everybody hope for the future, and more of a fair society. So for Real Hope, and for Real Change, on 4th July – Vote Green!’
Providing fairer, greener homes for all – from our 2024 Manifesto
There are over a million households on council waiting lists. In England you could expect to spend around 8.3 times annual average earnings to buy a home. Over 130,000 children are growing up in temporary accommodation. This national housing crisis is the result of 40 years of governments choosing to treat houses simply as assets rather than as homes, and of neglecting to build new social housing.
Building thousands of unaffordable homes isn’t the answer though – the priority should be providing everybody with a safe, warm affordable home. This means genuinely affordable homes, built to the right standards and in the right place, as part of flourishing communities. It means that we need to make sure all homes are fit for a climate-changed world. And it means protecting the rights of the millions of people who rent their homes.
Elected Greens will push to:
• Provide 150,000 new social homes a year and end the so-called ‘right to buy’, so that these homes can belong to communities for ever.
• Empower local authorities to introduce rent controls.
• End no-fault evictions.
• Introduce a Fairer, Greener Homes Guarantee to ensure warm, safe homes that are well insulated.
• Transform the planning system so new developments come with access to public services and green spaces are protected.