Wera puts pressure on the government to enable councils to build housing

3 October 2017

As the housing crisis continues to worsen, Wera Hobhouse has put pressure on the government to lift the borrowing cap on local authorities to build houses.

“This isn’t just about houses, it’s about people. We have well over 4000 people on the waiting list for social housing in Bath. We have people who are vital to our city, teachers and nurses who can’t afford to live here. People for whom the idea of buying a house here is a pipe dream, and not a reality.”

“The private sector has failed these people. This is why I called on Sajid Javid to lift the borrowing cap on local councils, so the council have a tool to fight this crisis.”

Sajid Javid responded by saying “where a local authority believes the borrowing cap is in its way, but it is ambitious and it wants to build more, come and talk to us because we want to do deals with them.”

Wera went on to say: “So the council needs an ambitious plan for Bath’s social and affordable housing? If the Tories on a national level are saying come to us with a plan and we’ll do a deal, then Bath and North East Somerset must go to them with one? Executive homes are not going to solve this problem.”

“People should not be made to feel like tourists in their own city.”