Conservative

• To fulfil their 2015 commitment to build 1 million new homes by the end of 2020 and deliver half a million more by the end of 2022.
• To deliver on the White paper commitments to free up more land, speed up the rate at which new homes are built and give councils powers to intervene where developers do not deliver.
• A Conservative government will support developments that are of high quality, high density such as mansion blocks, mews houses and terraced streets.
• The Conservatives also propose to rebalance housing development across the country and build 160,000 homes on publically owned land. Support will be given to specialist housing “where it is needed”, such as “multigenerational” homes and housing for older people and by helping Housing Associations increase specialist stock.  The Conservative manifesto says nothing addressing the shortage of accessible housing or meeting the housing needs of disabled people.
• A conservative government would work with local authorities to improve their capability and capacity to build more “good homes,” and provide council’s access to low cost capital funding. This will be used to build new “fixed term homes” to be sold privately after 10 – 15 years, with the right to buy automatically going to the tenant, and the proceeds being invested in “further homes.”
• The Conservatives commit to improving the energy efficiency of existing homes, by upgrading all fuel poor homes by 2030. Requirements for new homes would also be reviewed.
• The Conservatives will continue to help people buy their own home, including Housing Association tenants.

Labour

• Labour intends to build 1 million new homes for sale and “genuinely” affordable rent, by the end of the next Parliament including 100,000 council and housing association homes.
• It will establish a dedicated Department for housing, to tackle the housing crisis. This will be tasked with improving the number, standards and affordability of homes.
• The Homes and Communities Agency will be overhauled to become the government’s housing delivery body and council’s will be given new powers to build homes.
• A Labour government will insulate more homes, to help people manage the cost of energy bills, reduce preventable winter deaths and meet the UK’s climate change obligations. It will also consult on new rules to prevent “rabbit hutch” homes.
• Labour will implement minimum space standards for all new homes, whether for rent or sale.
• Labour intends to ensure that local plans will address the need for older people’s housing, ensuring that choice and down-sizing options are readily available.
• Labour intends to remove government restrictions on council house-building and embark upon the “biggest council building programme for 30 years.
• Labour would abolish the Conservative’s ban on long-term council tenancies to give council tenants housing security.
• Labour will abolish the bedroom tax.
• The right to buy will be suspended for affordable homes, unless councils can prove they have a plan to replace the properties sold on a ‘like for like’ basis.

Liberal Democrats

• The Liberal Democrats intend to reach a house building target of 300,000 homes a year by the end of 2022, including directly commissioning housing development where the market is not delivering. This will include 500,000 affordable homes by the end of the Parliament.
• The Liberal Democrats would lift the borrowing cap on local authorities and raise the borrowing capacity of Housing Associations to enable them to build more Council and social homes.
• They would also abolish the pilot voluntary right to buy for housing association properties and end the requirement on local authorities to sell off “high value” properties to fund it.

If you'd like to find out more about the parties manifestos, click the links below:

Conservative 2017 Manifesto

Labour 2017 Manifesto

Liberal Democrats 2017 Manifesto

Every vote will make a difference, so to bring about the future you want, you’ll really need to play your part and vote on 8th June 2017!