From the Labour Campaign for Council Housing
Britain’s housing crisis denies millions of people their right to a decent home. Labour in government must resolve this with a new generation of council housing, liberating those living in the poor quality and expensive private rental sector. Abolishing Right to Buy, as in Wales and Scotland, will stop the loss of desperately needed homes, and rent revenue for councils. It has the added advantage of being a cost-free policy.
The shocking death of Awaab Ishak and the growing numbers living in unsafe homes highlights the urgency of improving quality, standards and enforcement across tenures. Retrofitting all existing homes, including non-carbon heating, is necessary for improving living conditions as well as tackling climate change.
This conference determines that Labour commits to:
+ Fund 150,000 social rent homes a year, including at least 100,000 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) council homes with secure tenancies;
+ End “affordable rent” and fixed term tenancies;
+ Fund the retrofitting of all council housing;
+ Invest in Direct Labour Organisations to create well paid, unionised jobs and apprenticeships to deliver this;
+ Abolish right to buy;
+ Review council housing debt to address the under-funding of HRAs;
* Reintroduce rent controls;
+ Compulsory registration and regulation of private rental homes, with high energy efficiency and quality standards;
+ License landlords and agents, and increase funding for councils to regulate the sector;
+ Empower councils to restrict, license and tax holiday homes and AirBnBs;
+ Properly regulate temporary and supported accommodation.
(244 words)