Housing in crisis

There is a crisis in this country, and in our area particularly, and yet it's one most people are at best dimly aware of, and which never seems to be discussed by politicians. I refer to the desperate shortage of public housing for rent.

Housing rarely makes it centre stage. It happened in the 1960s when the BBC broadcast the ground-breaking Cathy Come Home. And it happened when Margaret Thatcher's government introduced the Right to Buy in the 1980s. It needs to happen again now.

The problem in fact stems from the Right to Buy, which may have been very liberating for those who were able to purchase their own house, but has left the stock of council housing much depleted, with council-held 3 and 4 bedroom properties in particular now a rarity.

MANAGEMENT

One significant problem with that policy is that part of its raison d'etre was a dogmatic one, to remove housing management as far as possible from councils.

No doubt that is why councils were not allowed to use the proceeds from the sale of council housing to do anything other than pay off debt or invest to produce an income stream.

It could not be used to build replacement housing.

So here in Lewes District, the number of council properties has fallen from around 5,500 to about 3,335 today, including just 66 four-bedroom houses.

Housing Associations are supposed to have taken up the slack, but they haven't come near replacing the loss of council properties.

DIRE SITUATION

Yet the situation locally is dire. Every week in my surgery, and more so in my postbag, I learn of constituents who are living in totally unsuitable conditions.

It is not uncommon to hear of families of five or six living in a two-bedroom property, or people with disabilities stuck in an upper floor flat. There are, in my estimation, over a thousand people locally living in significantly inadequate housing.

Meanwhile, the pressure increases, with more and more migration into our area from elsewhere in the UK, more people living alone, and so on. We actually need more public housing, not less.

Part of the reason for the enormous pressure on the local council is the inability of people to get on the housing ladder.

Property prices have increased way above inflation over the last twenty years, and young people growing up in our area find, even with a good income, they have to move out to Shoreham, Eastbourne and Hailsham to be able to afford the most basic property.

Some would argue that all the new house-building John Prescott has heaped on us is a way to deal with the problem.

The reality, however, is that much is that is unaffordable too, and not designed to meet local needs. It will simply suck more people into our area and put further strains on our already overloaded infrastructure.

So what's the answer?

Firstly, I would stop any further sales of council houses, and instead allow occupants, if they wished, to buy a 49 per cent share, which they could then sell on at a profit to the next occupant, or back to the council if necessary.

That would give a stake in the ownership of the property to the occupant, whilst allowing the council to retain the 'golden share'.

Secondly, I would take steps to encourage use of under-occupied properties, for example by giving grants for the conversion of unused spaces above shops into flats.

Thirdly, I would give councils much more control over new build. They should not simply be able to specify where houses can be built, but ought to be exert far greater influence of the type of new housing provided.

Meeting local needs should be of paramount importance.

Whatever the remedies, one thing is certain.

The present hidden housing crisis cannot be allowed to carry on. We owe it to the thousands of local people in inadequate accommodation to ensure that it doesn't.