How the world has changed. Two years ago the Labour Party moved to stop conference delegates debating a fourth option for council housing. Last year housing minister Caroline Flint was promising that councils would take centre stage but on the defensive over her flirtation with ending security of tenure.
This week John Healey, Flint’s successor but one as housing minister, not only announced a new wave of funding for council housebuilding but also alleged a secret Conservative plan to end security of tenure, double of even triple rents for social tenants and ”put their homes on the line with two months notice’.
In a fringe speech earlier in the week he opened up a further gap between the two parties by rejecting claims that investment in housing will plummet after the next election - unless the Tories win.
Healey’s speech was part of a general Labour attack on the record of Tory councils like Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster and Barnet. He did not name Hammersmith & Fulham but
he was almost certainly referring to minutes of discussions about the Localis report on social housing reform that were attended by senior Tories. The report was co-authored by council leader Stephen Greenhalgh and the minutes were obtained by local Labour MP Andy Slaughter under the Freedom of Information Act. Heavily redacted copies are on his website.
After several years of broad consensus between the parties on housing, politics is certainly back. Sarah Teather also made a big pitch for housing votes at the Lib Dem conference two weeks ago.
Next week it’s the Tories’ turn. Attacks on Labour’s housing record seem and nods to the nimbies look more of a certainty than any specific commitments on the welter of ideas coming out of right-wing think tanks.
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