Sir Keir Starmer: my vision for housing
In an Inside Housing exclusive, Sir Keir Starmer sets out the Labour Party’s plans for housing in Britain
Sir Keir Starmer is leader of the Labour Party
Eighteen months ago in Milton Keynes, I met a young man called Will. He was a fireman, but he also worked two other jobs as well. He had a simple dream, one shared by many young people: to own his own home. But even with three jobs, he still couldn’t afford it.
It’s a story replicated the length and breadth of Britain. Millions of people who, like Will, are doing everything right, but can no longer afford the dream of homeownership. And that’s a huge problem for the future of our country.
Having a place to call your own is the bedrock of security and aspiration. But it’s also a massive drag on our economy. So when planning rules mean you can’t build any houses, that is both a wrecker of dreams and a blockage on our national potential.
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Growth is Labour’s number one priority for government. And it’s only by reforming our planning regulations that we can unlock the economic potential of the country. I know this is controversial. I know, if we are successfully elected, our plans will be resisted. But it is simply not fair that determined blockers can gum up the entire building supply chain and stop our country from growing.
So, we will not be deterred. We will build 1.5 million homes over the next parliament. We will increase overall supply – that is crucial for long-term affordability. And we have an ambitious plan to deliver the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation.
To do that, a Labour government would immediately update the National Policy Planning Framework.
“We won’t end the Right to Buy scheme – it is a legitimate route for working class aspiration. But the Right to Buy cannot be a way to sell social rented homes and quickly convert them into expensive private rented accommodation”
We’ll strengthen planning obligations so new developments provide more affordable homes and introduce binding targets for planning authorities.
We will make changes to the Affordable Homes Programme to deliver more homes from existing funding.
We’ll also support councils and housing associations to build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply.
It’s obviously vital that local communities continue to shape housebuilding in their area. But Labour won’t be afraid to use intervention powers to build the houses we need where necessary.
We’d take a more strategic approach to greenbelt land to build more homes in the right places. This doesn’t mean, as ludicrously characterised, concreting over England’s incomparable natural heritage.
But in so many places, land currently registered as green belt would better be described as a ‘grey belt’ of disused carparks and dreary wasteland. And there is no good reason, given the challenges we face on growth, why this land could not be released for building.
On top of this, we’ll also make reforms to improve the mix of affordable housing. We’ll reform compulsory purchase rules to prevent landowners trying to inflate the price of land. And we will prioritise social rented accommodation wherever appropriate.
“We will increase overall supply – that is crucial for long-term affordability. And we have an ambitious plan to deliver the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation”
We won’t end the Right to Buy scheme – it is a legitimate route for working-class aspiration. But the Right to Buy cannot be a way to sell social rented homes and quickly convert them into expensive private rented accommodation. That is a betrayal of the scheme’s intentions, so we’ll up the rules and covenants to prevent people from abusing the system.
These plans will support 80,000 young people to get on the housing ladder over the next five years. We won’t stop there. We’ll introduce a permanent mortgage guarantee, the Freedom to Buy scheme, to help people secure a mortgage. We’ll have a ‘first dibs’ policy to make sure local people have access to new developments in their community. We’ll also tax foreign buyers and use that money to fund a new cohort of planning officers to speed up supply bottlenecks.
This is a plan that can deliver higher growth, new jobs and make millions of families better off. People like Will can finally realise their dream and enjoy the security which makes growth possible – for both their family and our country.
It’s time to get Britain building again.
Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader
