Labour publishes housing manifesto
The Labour Party has set out its promises on housing in a mini-manifesto on the subject.
The document, which is one of a series of manifestos on key policy areas, reiterates previous policy commitments including the introduction of a warm homes standard to make social housing more energy efficient.
This aims to make all social housing greener, warmer and cheaper to run by 2020.
The manifesto also promises a free advice line for private tenants and a website so they can read reviews of their landlord by previous tenants.
Other pledges include the abolition of stamp duty for 90 per cent of first time buyers within two years, strengthened regulation for homeowners struggling with mortgages, and the completion of the decent homes programme.
The manifesto also promises a ‘new deal’ for social housing, to meet challenges in the sector worked out with councils and housing associations, and new co-operative mutual forms of renting and management.
It promises new powers to parish councils to provide up to 10 to 15 new affordable homes in their community, without the need for individual planning applications from the local authority.
The Labour Party has also published a green manifesto, setting out its environmental policies.
These include ensuring all lofts and cavity walls are insulated by 2015 where practical, fitting all homes with a smart meter by 2020, making sure all new homes are zero carbon by 2016, and setting up a ‘pay as you save’ scheme to finance further home energy efficiency work.
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Readers' comments (2)
Len White | 27/04/2010 0:53 am
Labour's document is a thoughtful and balanced set of policies on housing and well worth a read. It covers most issues thoroughly and in detail. It raises a lot of issues that just haven't been debated so far in the Election about investment, the future of the TSA, HRA reform and so on.
So where are the Tory and LibDem equivalents?
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Jester | 27/04/2010 9:01 am
Yes, and the reason housing isn't currently affordable is that the Government allowed an unsustainable house price bubble to grow and grow and then removed house prices from inflation measures. They hardly have a glowing record, having to take steps to address the effects of your own policy mistakes isn't a good thing, however much Labour want to spin it!
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