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Esther McVey says she is ‘tenure blind’ in response to ‘social housing revolution’ question
Housing minister Esther McVey said she is “tenure blind” when asked whether the current government is planning to lead a “social housing revolution”.
Speaking during a panel at the Conservative Party conference, Ms McVey said Conservatives “don’t mind what sort of homes we’re building” and said that she was “completely tenure blind”. Nevertheless, she did say that the majority of people did want to own their own home, to have a place of security and feel as if they have a stake in society.
Ms McVey was responding to a question from the audience about whether the government would lead a “social housebuilding revolution” to help solve the housing crisis.
She said: “The Tory party is a party of choice, of social mobility, of aspiration and of self empowerment... We need to build all homes, whether that is social, whether that is council, whether that is private, whether that is homes to rent, whether that is homes to buy.”
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Ms McVey also said that she had lived in all types of homes, including a “Barnardo’s home” and a “council home”, but was happiest living in the house she owns, which is “safe and secure” and “has just got a heart”.
During the panel, which focused on spreading opportunity and investment across the UK, Ms McVey also spoke about the potential of modern methods of construction.
She called on more homes to be built in factories and said there is potential to create an industry worth £40bn, which could create 195,000 new jobs.
In her first speech as housing minister in July this year, Ms McVey pledged “to make the dream of homeownership a reality”.
The comments from Ms McVey came before housing secretary Robert Jenrick revealed plans to give existing housing association tenants the option to buy a part of the home they live in.
Under the ‘shared ownership’ Right to Buy, tenants will be given the option to purchase an equity share in their property of 10% or more and increase this in 1% chunks.
The National Housing Federation has warned that the plan could “worsen the housing crisis” and said the government needed to understand the impact on lenders before pushing ahead.
