FIX THE HOUSING CRISIS
It’s the way to bring Britain back together
MARK WASHER CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SOVEREIGN HOUSING ASSOCIATION
While Labour reflect and rebuild after their election defeat, the Conservatives have an opportunity to rethink policy and take a long-term, radical approach to homes and places. Investing in affordable, quality places to live would not only deliver on the trust placed in them by new voters in Labour’s traditional heartlands, it would be a catalyst for growth and begin to bring communities back together.
It has been hard to look too far ahead since the European referendum, with the country divided and many central domestic issues over-shadowed by Brexit. For the last few years we have being trying to treat the symptoms rather than the cause of that division. As we went to the polls in 2017, household wage growth was slowing and falling behind inflation. Even today, with high employment, wage levels remain slightly behind those seen before the housing market crash and recession a decade ago.