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The housing crisis is this election’s elephant in the room
There are huge gaps in the electoral promises we are seeing; the country needs bold solutions, writes Southwark Council’s Victor Chamberlain
Victor Chamberlain is a Liberal Democrat councillor at Southwark Council
The absence of housing from the election debate is puzzling and deeply concerning. There are many serious competing issues in this election, but the housing crisis is holding back generations, forcing millions into unsuitable and unaffordable homes, and denting our economy and prosperity.
Tackling the housing crisis must be the foundation upon which the next government builds a more progressive country.
That is what I argued last month at the UK’s Real Estate, Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) annual event discussing London’s housing crisis. Just 24 hours later, the election was called.
Since then, it has been disappointing to see housing feature so lowly in the campaigns and manifestos of both major parties. It is treated as a niche issue rather than the cornerstone of a government agenda that it needs to be.
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As a councillor in Southwark, I am acutely aware of the housing crisis’s depth and its immediate effects. Southwark was recently described as “ground zero” for the housing crisis on The News Agents podcast and, sadly, it is an apt description.
There are currently 17,700 households on the housing waiting list, up by over 7,000 in just five years. Southwark has the highest number of empty council homes in the country (1,500) while spending tens of millions on temporary accommodation. Entire schools are filled with children without a secure home.
At the council’s current social housebuilding rate, it will take 145 years to meet the needs of those on the waiting list. We face major-works scandals and the council has just had to refer itself to the regulator over safety concerns.
The human impact is severe: families and the vulnerable are left in overcrowded, unsafe or unaffordable housing for years.
“We need to encourage voters to demand better housing policies and attention from their politicians”
Southwark is just a snapshot of the national crisis. According to the National Housing Federation, over 1.3 million people are on housing waiting lists across the UK, with a combined waiting time of 1,844 years. Local councils, bearing the statutory responsibility for housing, have been stretched to financial breaking point by years of austerity and funding cuts.
YouGov polling shows 27% of people aged 25-49 say housing is the most important issue facing the country, rising to 40% for 18-24 year-olds. For millions paying unaffordable rents and wondering when, if ever, they will be able to buy a house, this is the most pressing issue.
These younger people are the middle-income earners that are the engine of our economy and the providers of vital social services. If they cannot afford good-quality accommodation close to work, our economy and public services will feel the strain.
That is why, on the UKREiiF panel, I argued that the housing crisis needs to be the number-one issue in this election. We need to encourage voters to demand better housing policies and attention from their politicians.
For any party to offer a real, positive future for the UK, they must outline how they would tackle the housing crisis. Yet, housing has been glaringly absent from the top of the election debate.
In the past few weeks, the major parties published their housing policies with little fanfare, especially in comparison with other policy areas like immigration or tax.
Ambitious housebuilding targets from the Liberal Democrats and Labour do point us in the right direction. Planning reform, releasing low-quality green-belt land for development and finally ending Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions are welcome and meaningful commitments, too, in both manifestos, but the scale of this emergency is greater still.
“Most importantly, the next government needs to commit to long-term, sustainable funding for local councils”
There are huge gaps in what is being offered, especially considering the wide range of interventions required to solve the housing crisis. Housebuilding targets are a good start, but we also need legislation and substantial funding to empower local government to regain its position as a major home builder.
The Right to Buy policy has seriously diminished social housing stock, while waiting lists have skyrocketed – and that won’t stop just through tweaking the policy, as Labour plans to do. Power has to be given to local authorities through legislation, to remove it entirely to protect social housing stock in areas of greatest need.
Although encouraging noises are being made around planning reform, we need more detail on what those policies will be. The next government has the opportunity to unlock vast areas of land for potential housing. Parties must outline how they plan to do that while protecting the environment and biodiversity. The need for sustainable development is too great for empty commitments in this area.
Most importantly, the next government needs to commit to long-term, sustainable funding for local councils. Local authorities need to know they can commit to ambitious housebuilding projects if we are to make any inroads in addressing this crisis.
This is a ‘change’ election. The change that many low- and middle-income earners need is access to affordable, safe housing and a realistic opportunity of owning a home.
Millions of voters will have this in mind when they head to the polls on 4 July; it is up to those vying for our vote to offer that change.
Victor Chamberlain, Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition, Southwark Council
