In a press release, Angela Rayner, Deputy Party Leader and Shadow Levelling Up Secretary of the Labour Party, pledged to deliver the largest boost to affordable housing in a generation. She stated that if Labour wins the next general election, social housing will be her top priority. The party plans to unlock government grants for building homes and make it harder for developers to evade their responsibilities.
Rayner criticized the Conservative government for allowing developers to escape accountability. She claimed that previous Conservative governments have worsened the housing crisis, and Labour aims to address it by constructing affordable, social, and council housing. Labour intends to hold developers accountable for providing affordable housing and will establish an expert Take Back Control Unit to train local authorities on negotiating with developers and improve transparency in the viability process. They also plan to recycle funds from unsuccessful projects into areas with higher demand for affordable housing.
Labour aims to improve economic modeling to secure future funding and collaborate with local leaders to effectively allocate funds. Additionally, they plan to enable Homes England, councils, and housing associations to allocate a larger proportion of grant funds to purchase social and affordable homes from existing housing stock.
Rayner explained in an interview that developers have evaded responsibility due to the lack of social housing replenishment and the government’s failure to allocate funds effectively. She emphasized the need to spend the available funds and prioritize the construction of social housing.
Although Rayner did not specify a target number of houses, she expressed a desire to surpass the Tories’ unmet target of 300,000 new homes a year. She also criticized the government’s plan to remove nutrient load requirements in urban wastewater planning, arguing that it is possible to protect the environment while building houses.
Labour’s commitment to affordable housing includes unlocking funds, holding developers accountable, and improving the allocation of grant funds. They strive to provide affordable and social housing for those unable to afford market value prices.