Everyone knows someone affected by the housing crisis in Croydon. A whole generation has been locked out of owning a home, trapped in damp flats for extortionate rents. Rough sleeping has doubled and last night 1,400 Croydon children slept homeless in emergency accommodation.
It doesn’t have to be this way. When I was Housing Minister I led Labour’s response to the Grenfell disaster – fighting to remove flammable cladding and install sprinklers in our blocks – and wrote a plan to end the leasehold scandal.
The Conservatives in Croydon have opposed stronger rights for Croydon’s renters and their government has cut investment in genuinely affordable homes to record lows.
Labour would get Britain building again – starting with one and a half million new homes across the country within five years of a Labour government.
We will enhance local voices in ‘how’ this new housing is built, while also easing the planning process to get shovels in the ground. A government-backed mortgage guarantee scheme will give first dibs to first time buyers.
This will ensure everyone has the chance to own their own home, and I hope it will help solve the housing crisis in our town.
