In response to Michael Gove’s speech today in which he pledged to build more homes in urban areas rather than in the countryside [1], the Green Party have repeated a call for a Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter].
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer, said:
“Following our excellent showing in some Tory strongholds we are pleased to see that the government plans to prioritise building on brownfield sites. But he’s utterly failed to push for the right homes at the right price.
“His speech comes on the same day an investigation reveals that there are now more than 1.2 million families on the waiting list for properties and that the majority of local authorities have failed to build a single council home in the past five years [2].
“Too often speculators and developers are building their profits rather than the houses local people actually need. What is required is a massive increase in local affordable social and council housing built to the highest environmental standards so they cut household energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.
“Our Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter will simultaneously protect valuable green space for communities, provide genuinely affordable housing, tackle fuel poverty and reduce climate emissions.”
Notes
1. Michael Gove relaxes planning rules to create more homes in city centres - BBC News