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Labour has been criticised for rolling back housing reforms aimed at protecting renters and increasing home ownership.
Sir Keir Starmer’s government will provide more support for first-time homebuyers, increase the number of affordable homes and provide stronger protections for people living in rented accommodation, according to plans published in the party’s manifesto last week.
but I‘s manifesto analysis reveals that Labour has watered down the housing plans it originally set out in last year’s National Policy Forum document.
Changes include scrapping the target of raising home ownership to 70%, replacing it with a more general pledge to increase home ownership, a target to build 1.5 million new homes in the next parliament, and support for at least 80,000 first-time buyers through the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme.
The same national policy document’s target of 40 percent of new homes in new cities being affordable was replaced with a more general commitment to build more affordable housing, and plans for “development authorities” to be the focal points of new city construction were also scrapped.
But the manifesto includes a pledge to reform planning laws to help first-time buyers and allow landowners to sell their land at a fair price. I Earlier this month.
Labour’s manifesto also promises to go further than the current government in strengthening protections for renters, but some policies affecting the housing sector have been scaled back or removed.
Plans set out in internal policy documents but not included in the manifesto include extending notice periods for private rented housing, introducing a national landlord register, the right to keep pets in private rented housing and a legally binding decent housing standard for the private rented sector.
Labour has previously supported a “tenants’ charter”, which would have included ending automatic evictions for rent arrears, exploring schemes to make rental deposits more “portable” and introducing a four-month notice period for landlords – none of which are included in the manifesto.
A Labour source said the National Policy Forum document had not been made public and the policies it contained had not been formally presented to the public, but the party said it remained “ambitious” to see 70% of people own their own home.
The weakening of the housing pledge follows similar criticism of Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan, which saw the rollback of workers’ rights and a cut to its ambitious target of spending £28 billion on investing in environmental projects.
How Labour’s housing promises were watered down
- The 70 per cent homeownership target, set out in Labour’s National Policy Forum document, is not included in the manifesto but remains an “aspiration”.
- A promise to make 40 percent of new homes in emerging cities affordable will be dropped in favor of more general pledges.
- References to a “Development Authority” being central to the construction of new towns have been removed.
- A universal national main register, longer notice periods in the private rented sector and legally binding decent housing standards were included in the National Policy Forum document but not in the manifesto.
Adam Peggs of the think tank Commonwealth said: I“Labour’s manifesto sets out some welcome initial steps to ease the UK’s housing crisis, including a commitment to end no-fault evictions immediately.”
“However, the lack of further strengthening tenant rights and ensuring that at least 40% of homes in the New Town are affordable are both major concerns. Tenants have been waiting for reform for years and now is the time for ambitious reform.”
“Ensuring large volumes of genuinely affordable housing is essential for Labour’s New Towns plan to succeed. Strong tenant rights and building social housing are key to a future that provides safe, quality housing for all.”
Ben Toomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: “Labour’s manifesto sets out its intentions for renting reform but is short on detail. To properly protect tenants by abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions, we need to give them more time to start a new life without the fear of being evicted so landlords can sell or move in. Longer notice periods in cases of threatened eviction and clear mechanisms to prevent abuse will be essential.”
“To prevent tenants from being exploited and enforce higher standards, it is essential that landlords are subject to a new national register and an expanded ombudsman system.”
“These measures are not included in the manifesto but are areas which the Opposition parties have been pushing for in the debate on the Tenancy Reform Bill. We expect a Labour government to swiftly resolve the issues left by the party’s front bench in the last parliament and will be campaigning for comprehensive reform, whoever forms the next government.”
A Labour spokesman said: “A Labour government will reform town planning laws to boost economic growth by building 1.5 million homes over five years.”
“Boosting homebuilding in the UK will help more people realise their dream of home ownership through measures such as first-time buyers’ right to buy and mortgage guarantees, and will take concrete steps towards our long-term goal of 70 per cent homeownership.”
“After the Conservatives promised reforms for renters and shamefully failed to deliver, Labour will change the law to give tenants proper protection.”