Here’s how the green party would fix it
Everyone deserves to live in a warm, secure and affordable home. But for millions of people, this is completely out of reach. The Green Party has a joined-up plan to change this: Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price.
6 key green party policies TO fix the broken housing market
At present, the housing market is dominated by:
But it doesn’t have to be this way!
_CREATE MORE AFFORDABLE SOCIAL HOUSING _�We’d aim to create at least an extra 150,000 council homes a year through a mix of new build, refurbishment, conversions and buying up existing homes. And we’d make sure all these homes are insulated to the highest standards so they’re cheap to run too.�
_ PROVIDE GOVERNMENT FUNDING TO HELP COUNCILS DO THIS _�Cash-strapped councils are having to fork out huge sums to house growing numbers of homeless people in B&Bs and hotels – £1.7 billion last year alone. They need central government help to meet the urgent need to create permanent and affordable social housing. We’d also lift the overly restrictive rules on council borrowing for house-building. In the long run, this will save councils a great deal of money.
_ EMPOWER COUNCILS TO INTRODUCE RENT CONTROLS _ �Rents have risen much faster than inflation and in many areas they’re now far higher than many local people can afford. We’d empower local authorities to introduce rent controls, to stop rogue landlords from exploiting their tenants.
The housing market is broken
PROMOTED BY Tom scott ON BEHALF OF the green party (campaigns committee), BOTH AT THE Biscuit Factory, J Block (215), 100 Clements. Road, London. SE16 4DG . Printed by Leafletfrog Ltd, Units 38-39 Britannia Way, Bolton, BL2 2HH.
.
.
4 things you can do to help with the housing crisis
Join a community union like Acorn or Living Rent. These unions have been fighting to defend and improve the rights of tenants and have often succeeded in preventing people from being unfairly evicted by landlords: livingrent.org and acorntheunion.org.uk
Join or start a residents’ association. By acting as a voice for residents in your area, such associations can make a positive difference for communities, on housing and other issues. fpra.org.uk
Write to your member of Parliament to ask what they are doing to improve the housing situation in your area: writetothem.com
Vote Green at national and local elections. Greens in the room make a real difference – and politicians start changing their ways when they see they’re losing votes. Please tell friends and neighbours why you’re voting Green!
Join our mailing list for more free and low-cost ideas on how to make change happen – see below.
JoIn the green party
To join the Green Party, scan this QR code or go to
join.greenparty.org.uk
JoIn our mailing list
Scan this QR code to join our mailing list or go to greenpartycampaigns.uk
_ END THE SO-CALLED “RIGHT TO BUY” _ �Nearly half of all council houses sold under the “right to buy” scheme have ended up in the hands of private landlords. Ending this would enable local authorities to keep council homes available and affordable in the community for good.��_ STOP LANDLORDS USING UNFAIR RENT HIKES TO EVICT TENANTS _ �The Renters Reform Bill will end no-fault evictions. But it won’t stop landlords using unreasonable rent increases to force tenants out of their homes. We want a legal cap on rent rises to stop landlords using these to evict their tenants by the back door.
_ TRANSFORM THE PLANNING SYSTEM _ �This needs to protect the green spaces that are so vital for people’s physical and mental wellbeing. We’d incentivise renovation and improvement of existing buildings to reduce the environmental impact of new construction. All new housing developments should be located so that residents don’t need cars to live a full life. This means having shops, schools and GP surgeries nearby, and good public transport links. Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price.