Decent home is a right owed to all 

The focus on affordable decent housing for all in the Labour Party Green Paper was welcomed by Sinead Butters, chair of PlaceShapers.

She said: “We are delighted with the scale of ambition and the recognition of the important role housing associations must play to achieve this. We welcome the focus that a decent home is a right owed to all. In our consultation response, we addressed the scale of the affordable homes that are needed and where the need was greatest - people who are homeless, living in poor quality private homes, keyworkers, older people wishing to downsize, millennials and younger people and those in need of supported housing especially in areas where increased provision will ease hospital discharge.

“The focus on genuinely affordable homes and the recognition that this requires rents to be linked to earnings is something PlaceShapers have long promoted. We welcome seeing this in the paper alongside the commitment to more capital investment to achieve this.

“All parties recognise that there is a housing crisis and clarity on approaches to solving it are always welcome. We recognise this green paper is a starting point in a conversation and will continue to be part of conversation with all political parties on solving the housing crisis.”