7 February 2017
The Green Party has expressed its disappointment at the housing plans released today by the government.
The plans had been widely expected to include new measures to help renters and speed up housebuilding. However, the published paper was condemned by Greens both locally and nationally, with Norwich councillor Martin Schmierer calling it “disappointing, unimaginative and inadequate”, and Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the national party, branding it “a slap in the face” for struggling renters.
Bartley said: “The Housing Minister’s plans are a slap in the face for the millions of people in this country desperate for bold plans to reduce rents and make their housing affordable.
“Any plan to help renters which doesn’t have at its heart a clear intention to reduce the amount tenants are paying is doomed to failure.
“It is scandalous that many people are paying up to two-thirds of their income on rent, and often living in sub-standard accommodation. The Government should immediately set up a Living Rent Commission to work out what rent is truly affordable and take action to bring down costs for tenants.
“With Britain suffering such an acute housing crisis – and with property developers earning such huge sums for simply holding onto land – it’s also clear that ideas such as a Land Value Tax should be explored. Such a tax could reduce property speculation, revitalise inner city areas and raise revenue – there’s no excuse for failing to investigate it as an option.”
Martin Schmierer, who leads the Green Party group on Norwich City Council, added: “With so many people homeless and many more struggling with ever-rising rents, radical changes are needed – but the government’s disappointing, unimaginative and inadequate plans will not even begin to do the job.
“After years of slashing local authority budgets and making it virtually impossible to build new council homes, the government is now blaming councils for not building enough.
“The paper acknowledges that there are sites for almost 700,000 homes that have planning permission but have not been completed. This is not the fault of councils – it’s because developers are hoarding land to keep prices high. Yet the government continues to pretend it can solve the crisis by punishing local authorities when developers fail to build.
“One positive aspect of the government’s paper is its proposal to encourage councils to use compulsory purchase powers where sites are not being developed. This is long overdue, and I welcome any action to ensure it becomes a reality in Norfolk and elsewhere, so that homes can finally be built on sites like Barrack Street.”
