Is the government holding back local authorities from addressing the housing crisis? Bath’s MP, Wera Hobhouse has asked Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities whether he would give Local Authorities the first right to purchase public land in order to build more social housing.
Mrs Hobhouse put to the Secretary of State that the Liberal Democrat led Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council wants to roll out an ambitious scheme to build 1,000 more social homes for rent by 2030. To help facilitate schemes such as this, the Bath MP asked the Government to allow Local Authorities to have the first right to purchase public land in order to build more social housing.
Median house prices in the South West are around 10-times greater than median earnings and the supply of homes is not keeping up with demand. Liberal Democrat led B&NES Council are putting forward real solutions to this problem. Current Government policies, such as the lack of first right to purchasing public land that Mrs Hobhouse raised, are making solutions for Local Authorities across the country harder to put into action.
In his reply, Mr Gove made no attempt to answer the specifics of the question but did praise B&NES Council for wanting to build more homes.
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, commented:
“My Liberal Democrat colleagues on B&NES Council have a truly ambitious programme to provide new social housing. If Local Authorities were given the first right to purchase public land in order to build more homes, it would go a long way to addressing the housing crisis.
“Instead, Councils hands are being tied behind their backs. The Liberal Democrats would empower local Governments so they can be free to launch schemes which work for the needs of their communities.
“Councils have been hamstrung for too long by Conservative cuts and incompetence. It is time that burden was lifted from them.”
The exchange between Wera Hobhouse MP and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities can be found here.
