We must build new homes for rent, says MP
A Leeds MP has called on the Government to urgently tackle shortages in affordable homes for rent.
John Battle MP (Leeds West) believes that enabling local councils to build new homes for rent should be a top priority for the Government. “As a way of tackling poverty and social exclusion, we should be looking to increase council housing stock,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that rising personal debt, bankruptcy levels and doorstep lending are in part related to the lack of affordable housing for rent.”
Mr Battle was speaking at lunchtime today at the AGM of housing association Connect Housing. Connect Housing is one of the biggest providers of housing in Leeds, with a stock of over 2,000 homes.
Connect Housing also runs a number of initiatives to help tenants manage their finances. Mr Battle highlighted this part of Connect Housing’s work in his speech: “Moving people away from loan sharks and doorstep lending, towards responsible lenders, credit unions and low cost loans, can make a real difference. In terms of credit, it’s clear that the poor are paying the highest interest rates, subsidising other borrowers. That’s why improving access to financial services and affordable credit is so important.”
Mr Battle is a former Chair of Housing on Leeds City Council, and was also the Labour frontbench spokesman on Housing before 1997. He is pressing the Government to find new ways of providing affordable homes for rent as part of its poverty strategy: “The Government has put in place some measures to tackle debt and financial exclusion – giving grants for financial advice provided by the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, for instance – but needs to look at affordable housing as part of its approach to poverty.”