Labour’s Housing Policy lacks Vigour and Direction, say Lib Dem Housing Lead

Cllr Richard Kemp has spoken out about his anger with Labour's housing policy. 

Liverpool Lib Dems Housing Spokesperson, Cllr Richard Kemp, has accused Liverpool’s Labour administration of lacking vigour and direction after reviewing figures provided by the Council via the Cabinet Member for housing.

The figures revealed show that over a roughly 5-year period 9,990 new units of residential accommodation will be provided in the City. Of these 8,832 will be apartments, 345 will be houses and 813 will be specialist accommodation.

When looking at who the units will be provided for only 1,100 will be available for any type of social housing with 245 being shared ownership, 560 for ‘affordable’ rented, and 321 for social housing.

Cllr Kemp concludes that Labour’s housing policy is to replicate the tower blocks disasters of the 50s and 60s although this time not for poor people but for new start home renters and owners and wealthier people.

The council has no real idea of the properties that exist in the City and has failed to relate the current and proposed housing to the changing and increasing population of the city. “How many of these people want to live in apartments?” Cllr Kemp asks. “How many people in real housing need will be assisted whilst our council fails to look at the pressing needs of those on our waiting list, living in houses in multiple occupation, and those living in temporary accommodation?”

We must start by getting harder with developers. Look at the planning committee over the past five years and the number of times they have even tried to enforce our 20% minimum requirement for social housing on developments with more than 10 units of accommodation is laughable. At the first sign of a request from a developer they cave in. They do not ask themselves or the developers why, if development in Liverpool is so financially marginal, why do they bother to build here at all?!”

Cllr Kemp concludes, “At the current rate of progress, it will take more than 120 years to replace our housing stock. Many of the homes we are allowing to be built today will, like their 50s and 60s predecessors will need demolishing in 30 – 40 years. What we need is sustainable housing set in sustainable communities which provide accommodation to meet the needs of people as they progress through life from cradle to grave”

The Party will be taking a wide-ranging policy review of housing to a policy conference as part of their proposals for when they take the leadership of the council in 2027. One of their key objectives is to find ways of building council housing in the city rather than rely on housing associations, many of which act more like private companies than  organisations with a social objective.