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Labour proposes ‘Building Works Agency’ to ‘assess, fix and fund’ tall buildings
The Labour Party has pledged to create a “Building Works Agency” that will “assess, fix and certify” tall buildings and to legislate to ensure that leaseholders do not have to pay for building safety work.
Speaking at the Labour Party Conference today, shadow housing secretary Lucy Powell said her party has “a plan” to solve the building safety crisis if re-elected.
She said the plan would involve the creation of “a Building Works Agency to assess, fix and fund then certify all tall buildings”.
The agency would then “pursue those responsible for costs” and her party would “put in law that leaseholders won’t pay” for building safety work, she added.
Earlier this year, the current Conservative government voted down various attempts to include a clause in the recently passed Fire Safety Bill that would prevent leaseholders from having to pay for remediation.
In her speech today, Ms Powell called the building safety scandal “a tragic symbol of housing policy gone wrong” and said the “so-called party of homeownership rings very hollow” to the “hundreds of thousands of innocent leaseholders trapped in unsellable homes”.
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As reported by Inside Housing on Friday, her speech also included a commitment to reform affordable rents to match around 30% of average household incomes, as well as a promise to give first-time buyers “first dibs” on new developments.
The shadow housing secretary also pledged to “give local authorities new powers to buy and develop land for housing, and revitalise town centres, by reforming arcane compensation rules”, estimating that this could generate “up to 100,000 new homes a year”.
Ms Powell promised “aspirations for homeownership” will be met by a Labour government, but appeared to stick by the party’s policy to abolish the Right to Buy.
“We can’t continue with the huge net loss in council houses resulting from Right to Buy and its huge discount,” she said.
Her speech also included promises to end rough sleeping, abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions and to put “housing as a human right” at the heart of her party’s approach.
Meanwhile, the party will launch a “Great Housing Challenge”, which will learn from Labour councils, mayors and the Welsh government, she said.
Ms Powell concluded her speech by calling Labour the “party of homeowners and tenants” and the Tories “the party of speculators and developers”.
It comes as Labour Party delegates prepare to vote on a bumper housing motion that will urge the party to adopt a policy of delivering 150,000 social rent homes per year, including 100,000 council homes, and to enshrine the right to adequate housing in domestic law.
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