Despite the economy beginning to recover, it is clear that the benefits of growth are still not being shared widely enough. Falling unemployment levels have not translated to quality jobs or a better sense of security for families. Nowhere is this a bigger challenge than in housing. Even in a relatively prosperous new town like Milton Keynes over a quarter of jobs are now low-paid and families are finding it more difficult to get on the housing ladder.
Ed Miliband is right to put the spotlight on housing. We are in the midst of the biggest housing crisis in a generation as we build less than half the homes we need to keep up with demand. This failure is having a huge impact on people as young families and the next generation are priced out of home ownership. Increasing numbers of people are being forced to live in an often expensive, unstable and substandard private rented sector. Access to social housing is as difficult as home ownership.
The Milton Keynes story is one of rapid housing growth, but the Milton Keynes challenge is about ensuring we are getting the mix right with enough affordable homes to rent and buy. Despite council policy stating that thirty per cent of all new homes built in the borough should be affordable, last year – the last full year of the previous Conservative administration – just one in five new houses completed were affordable. The new Labour council, led by Pete Marland, have made quick progress since May and have announced they will build 200 new council homes over the next four years as well as negotiating a higher affordable percentage with developers.
But more needs to be done. We need stronger direction from government and clearer rules to speed up house building, and a more effective negotiating hand for councils to get the right mix with developers. In Milton Keynes, it is also about ensuring the infrastructure investment keeps pace with homes being built. The Lyons Review, launched today in Milton Keynes, sets out an ambitious plan to help new cities like mine to grow, and to do so sustainably.
The next Labour government is committed to building more homes, including affordable homes, by effectively doubling the number of homes built to 200,000 every year by 2020. So we need big change in the housing market. We will ensure that more land comes forward, that there are use it or lose it powers for councils where land has planning permission but no building is taking place, and that there is better support for small and medium-sized builders. We will also ensure that local people are able to insist on the right level of affordable homes in their areas. We also want to build a new generation of settlements in the original spirit of Milton Keynes, which was all about allowing families to get a hold on the property ladder.
As well as building more homes, including affordable homes, we are determined to get a better deal for the 9,000,000 people who now rent privately. Too often renting privately means people face instability and substandard accommodation, which is becoming increasingly expensive. The sector needs to change, not least to cater for the growing number of families with children who have made it their home. We will give them greater stability and peace of mind with longer-term tenancies and ceilings on subsequent rent increases – and we will ban letting agent fees on tenants.
Labour is ambitious about tackling the housing crisis because we want to ensure people in Milton Keynes and across the country can realise their dreams of a decent home at a price they can afford. But we also want to create high-skilled jobs, lower taxes on the lowest paid and create and support small businesses by cutting their business rates. In Milton Keynes, we want to see government backing up our plans to renew our original pioneering vision of a home for all those who need it, a rewarding job for all those who want one and a lively city for all. The Lyons plan is a good step in the right direction.
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Andrew Pakes is Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Milton Keynes South
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