Morning Star Editorial: Burnham must stop housing back-sliding

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/burnham-must-stop-housing-back-sliding

IF IT is too early to come to any rounded judgement regarding Andy Burnham’s programme and policies – that should wait until the budget next month — it is not too soon to express concern about his government’s course in relation to the vital issue of housing.

Here he is in danger of following Keir Starmer in under-delivering.  One pledge after another has been discarded or diluted.

First, a suggestion of introducing a private-sector rent freeze was dropped without explanation.

This would have been a far more substantive measure to tackle the cost-of-living crisis than anything else the new government has announced, and would have indicated whose side Burnham is on – working people rather than rapacious landlords.

Second, a clear commitment to promote council housing has been watered down in favour of more amorphous concepts of social or “affordable” housing. Only three of the more than 30 bodies to get new government funding for construction are actually councils.

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Now we learn that Labour’s manifesto promise to stop the sale of newly built housing to overseas investors is being dropped. Such homes often remain empty and unused while big business around the world watches their value appreciate.

The reason for the latest U-turn is bosses’ claims that stopping such sales would make many housing construction projects commercially unviable.

That is a capitulation to the capitalist outlook which treats homes as profit opportunities rather than places to live.

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The lesson of the last 40 years is that reliance on the market and private house builders leads to chronic shortages, as homes are built only for profit. That they are often left empty in the hands of millionaire investors just adds to the scandal.

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The labour movement must place pressure on the Prime Minister and on Rayner to end the back-sliding on this issue, freeze rents, end house sales to overseas investors and get Britain building.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/burnham-must-stop-housing-back-sliding