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Liberal Democrats back Housing First as manifesto is launched
The Liberal Democrats have backed Inside Housing’s campaign to set up Housing First programmes across the country.
In its manifesto, launched today, the party has pledged to make all councils have at least one Housing First provider for “long-term, entrenched” homeless people.
Party leader Tim Farron backed the Cathy at 50 campaign in an interview with Inside Housing where he said the “passing of people from pillar to post who are in desperate circumstances is one of the most frustrating and heart-breaking aspects of dealing with people in housing need”.
He added: “People need to be safe, warm and secure in housing they can afford right now – that’s the first thing. Once you’ve solved that problem then you can start working on everything else and I’m very keen to support that.”
Housing First offers accommodation to rough sleepers who have complex needs. Once accommodation is secured a support package is built around the person’s needs.
Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Mr Farron ruled out a review of the green belt.
The Conservatives and Labour have also pledged to protect the green belt.
In the Labour manifesto, published yesterday, the party said brownfield sites should be prioritised for development.
The Liberal Democrats would also increase borrowing capacity for housing associations to allow them to build more social housing.
David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “This shows real confidence in housing associations’ ambition to deliver new homes to people in every part of the housing market.
“We welcome the focus on supply; housing associations already deliver tens of thousands of new homes for rent and sale each year and have an ambition to do much more. We estimate that £3bn of investment would support the sector to deliver up to 100,000 new affordable homes – alongside other homes for market rent and market sale.”
LIBERAL DEMOCRAT HOUSING POLICY AT A GLANCE:
- Introduce Rent to Buy with outright ownership after 30 years
- Introduce a Help to Rent scheme to provide government-backed tenancy deposit loans for all first-time renters under 30
- Scrap the bedroom tax but incentivise councils to help people to downsize
- Require all councils to have at least one Housing First provider for “long-term, entrenched” homeless people.
- End Voluntary Right to Buy for housing associations, drop the higher-value asset levy and allow councils to scrap Right to Buy if they choose
- Allow councils to charge 200% council tax on empty homes including those bought and left empty by foreign investors
- Set up a housing and infrastructure development bank to provide long-term capital for major new developments
- Directly commission homes
- Build 300,000 homes a year for sale and rent, with 100,000 of these affordable and energy efficient
- Drop the affordable housing exemption for smaller sites
- Allow councils to penalise developers when they haven’t built for three years on land where they have planning permission
- Lift the borrowing cap on councils and increase borrowing capacity for housing associations through increased access to finance
- Require Local Plans to take into account at least 15 years of housing need
- Introduce a community right of appeal if planning decisions go against a Local Plan
- Increase Local Housing Allowance rates in line with average rents
- Provide four million homes with insulation retrofitting by 2022
- Restore the zero carbon standard for new homes
- Create 10 new garden cities
