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Poll shows 64% of people in marginal ‘red wall’ seats want new homes in their area
A majority of people in 15 seats in the North of England that have traditionally supported the Labour Party want new homes in their area, a poll has found.
Private polling commissioned by Homes for the North, a group of 17 housing associations, found that 64% of residents in marginal parliamentary constituencies agreed new homes should be built in their local area.
The research was carried out as part of a report titled Plan for More and Better Homes, which also found that 68% of residents supported the development of new homes in the North more broadly.
The report is being billed as a blueprint to triple housing delivery over the next five years and unlock billions of pounds of economic growth.
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A total of 65% of the more than 2,400 respondents said there was too little affordable housing, and 67% said the UK government had done too little to ensure affordable housing was available in the North.
A party’s policy on housing will be an important factor in how they decide to vote at the next election, according to 65% of those polled.
This number rose among swing voters, with 69% of those surveyed in marginal Northern parliamentary constituencies saying housing policy would influence their voting decision.
Homes for the North said the region needed two million new homes by 2050 to fulfil its economic potential, and 100,000 homes in the region were in need of significant upgrades or replacement in the medium term.
Of the 80 regeneration projects across the region to be delivered in partnership with housing associations over the long term with public funding, the report found only a quarter had secured the required funding in full, and over half had no public funding in place.
Homes for the North is calling for investment in local delivery partnerships, long-term certainty on rent and grant subsidy and linking local plan-making to regional economic targets.
The group believes this plan will add £3.9bn of gross value to the UK economy, deliver 42,920 homes and regenerate 80 communities, which is enough to provide almost 59,000 people with a year’s work.
Alongside this long-term vision, the report sets out how the number of homes scheduled to be built in partnership with Homes for the North members over the next five years could be trebled to nearly 10,000.
Steve Coffey, chair of Homes for the North, said: “Our plan provides the first-ever comprehensively mapped vision of regeneration opportunities across the North, and would deliver what the region, its people and economy need – more and better homes.
“With housing associations at the heart of new local delivery partnerships, our plan is a road map for government to unlock blockages and delays in housing delivery and shows how regeneration can interlock with key infrastructure and centres of growth.
“We know that housing will be a huge focus at the next election. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to rapidly increase the number of good homes being delivered while providing real opportunities for regional economic growth.”
