Opinion: We need more social rent housing

An article published in the Observer newspaper on November 13th said that forty councils built no social rent housing over the past five years. The first council mentioned in its list was Peterborough.

It would be one matter if it was just a few homes were built, and the council had a “must do better” attitude. To build none is inexcusable. Furthermore, it has inherent costs: without social rent housing, the present crisis in our city can only be exacerbated. I speak to my constituents all the time and this is one of the issues that is the forefront of their minds: how can they continue to live here with rents under such extreme pressure, and with so little action from the council to address it?

Social rent housing provides a necessary floor under the housing market: I am sure we have all noticed that there has been a rise in homelessness. There are reasons for that: some have complex problems, but many are simply too poor to find a property they can afford.

With social rent housing, the problem can be addressed or at least start to be addressed.

Our population is growing, and we need more social rent housing to prevent more and more people slipping through the cracks.

By the time these words are published, it is highly likely that the government will have produced its latest budget via an Autumn Statement: more tax rises and more cuts are on the way. Some estimates have suggested that the brief economic experiment undertaken by Truss and Kwarteng blasted a £30 billion hole in the budget. That number is so astronomical as to be difficult to comprehend, but when it comes to a total lack of social housing, social care, and the paring back of other essential services, one really feels it.

We’re paying more, getting less, and more people are being left behind.

The Conservatives have had over twenty years in charge of Peterborough, and over twelve in charge of our country. Are we better off? I think the answer for the vast majority is no: furthermore, by being re-elected so often, the Conservatives have gotten the wrong message. They believe a mere change in leadership can disguise glaring failures like an inability to build social rent housing, or even to make use of brownfield sites to create more social rent housing.

They hope you won’t notice. They hope that you either are apathetic or don’t care.

Things can be different and can be better. I sense as I speak to people in my ward that at the very least there needs to be an attempt at change, because we can’t afford six, seven, eight or more years of no more social rent housing, more cuts, higher taxes on working people.

Something has to give: it shouldn’t be people who are striving and doing their best to make ends meet in increasingly tough times.