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| Theresa May to unveil plan for 'rebirth' in council housing in conference speech | Theresa May to unveil plan for 'rebirth' in council housing in conference speech |
| (4 months later) | |
| PM due to announce measures to ease the way for authorities to build more social housing, close ally Damian Green has said | |
| Jessica Elgot | |
| Wed 4 Oct 2017 09.32 BST | |
| Last modified on Wed 4 Oct 2017 11.28 BST | |
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| Theresa May will announce plans to “start a rebirth of council housing” in her conference speech on Wednesday, pledging to remove the barriers for local authorities to build homes for social rent. | Theresa May will announce plans to “start a rebirth of council housing” in her conference speech on Wednesday, pledging to remove the barriers for local authorities to build homes for social rent. |
| The first secretary of state, Damian Green, a close ally of the prime minister who acts as her de-facto deputy, said the party’s pledges at the Conservative conference in Manchester would help all parts of the housing sector. | The first secretary of state, Damian Green, a close ally of the prime minister who acts as her de-facto deputy, said the party’s pledges at the Conservative conference in Manchester would help all parts of the housing sector. |
| “It is a significant announcement. This is a Conservative government saying we want to help homeowners in private rent, but we also want to regenerate the social-rented sector as well,” he said. | “It is a significant announcement. This is a Conservative government saying we want to help homeowners in private rent, but we also want to regenerate the social-rented sector as well,” he said. |
| The prime minister is due to announce new ways to ease the way for councils to build more social housing. While Green would not discuss the detail of what will be announced in the speech, the Conservative manifesto in June laid out plans to provide low-cost capital for councils to build fixed-term social housing that would be sold privately after 10-15 years with an automatic right to buy for tenants. | The prime minister is due to announce new ways to ease the way for councils to build more social housing. While Green would not discuss the detail of what will be announced in the speech, the Conservative manifesto in June laid out plans to provide low-cost capital for councils to build fixed-term social housing that would be sold privately after 10-15 years with an automatic right to buy for tenants. |
| “We believe in building more homes and we think that we need to do this to meet the demand of all types, including council houses,” Green told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “You’ll hear today we are going to make it easier for councils to build new houses for rent.” | “We believe in building more homes and we think that we need to do this to meet the demand of all types, including council houses,” Green told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “You’ll hear today we are going to make it easier for councils to build new houses for rent.” |
| Green said the government had heard the concerns from councils that they were often unable to borrow money to build and found it difficult to purchase land for social housing. | Green said the government had heard the concerns from councils that they were often unable to borrow money to build and found it difficult to purchase land for social housing. |
| “The things that hold them back will be part of the announcement,” he said. “What we expect to do is start a rebirth of council housing, precisely because one of the duties the prime minister thinks is important for the government to fulfil is precisely to go to those parts of society, parts of the country where often in the past the Conservative party hasn’t addressed. The council house announcement will be squarely in that field.” | “The things that hold them back will be part of the announcement,” he said. “What we expect to do is start a rebirth of council housing, precisely because one of the duties the prime minister thinks is important for the government to fulfil is precisely to go to those parts of society, parts of the country where often in the past the Conservative party hasn’t addressed. The council house announcement will be squarely in that field.” |
| Green said the party hoped its housing pledges would also convince younger voters the Conservatives had policies that would improve their lives. “Voters under the age of 40 didn’t support the Conservatives in the numbers we would hope and expect,” he said. | Green said the party hoped its housing pledges would also convince younger voters the Conservatives had policies that would improve their lives. “Voters under the age of 40 didn’t support the Conservatives in the numbers we would hope and expect,” he said. |
| “So the prime minister will talk very much about a range of policies that will help that group who have been feeling they have often been left behind, particularly in the housing field. They are less likely to own their own homes than their parents did. They feel they are working very hard in their 20s and 30s, but not getting the rewards from society they should get.” | “So the prime minister will talk very much about a range of policies that will help that group who have been feeling they have often been left behind, particularly in the housing field. They are less likely to own their own homes than their parents did. They feel they are working very hard in their 20s and 30s, but not getting the rewards from society they should get.” |
| On Wednesday, homelessness charity Shelter will release figures showing 4.5m households renting privately in England spend an average of 41% of gross income on their accommodation – far higher than families with mortgages or social housing, said Shelter. About 53% were either struggling to pay or falling behind on their rent. | On Wednesday, homelessness charity Shelter will release figures showing 4.5m households renting privately in England spend an average of 41% of gross income on their accommodation – far higher than families with mortgages or social housing, said Shelter. About 53% were either struggling to pay or falling behind on their rent. |
| Shelter’s chief executive, Polly Neate, said there was a huge shortfall in social housing. “Honestly, from what we see at Shelter every day, it’s not possible to exaggerate the level of misery that represents. You have people pushed into the private rented sector which is completely unaffordable,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. | Shelter’s chief executive, Polly Neate, said there was a huge shortfall in social housing. “Honestly, from what we see at Shelter every day, it’s not possible to exaggerate the level of misery that represents. You have people pushed into the private rented sector which is completely unaffordable,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. |
| Housing is one of the key motivators of how people vote, the charity’s research found, with private tenants putting housing in their top three issues when deciding which party to back, with a big swing to Labour in 2017. The party has a lead of 23 points among renters. | Housing is one of the key motivators of how people vote, the charity’s research found, with private tenants putting housing in their top three issues when deciding which party to back, with a big swing to Labour in 2017. The party has a lead of 23 points among renters. |
| Sources revealed that May will also use the speech, which is likely to be policy-heavy with at least one major new announcement that was still being hammered out on Tuesday night, to give a more personal take on her life and politics. | Sources revealed that May will also use the speech, which is likely to be policy-heavy with at least one major new announcement that was still being hammered out on Tuesday night, to give a more personal take on her life and politics. |
| “It will be in many ways a more personal speech than people often expect to hear from prime ministers,” Green said. “She will explain what drives her and gives her her sense of duty to get out there every day and improve lives.” | “It will be in many ways a more personal speech than people often expect to hear from prime ministers,” Green said. “She will explain what drives her and gives her her sense of duty to get out there every day and improve lives.” |
| The prime minister’s speech will also contain veiled warnings to cabinet colleagues such as the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, that they must show more discipline. May will warn that “beyond the gossip pages of the newspapers, and beyond the streets, corridors and meeting rooms of Westminster, life continues – the daily lives of ordinary working people go on”. | The prime minister’s speech will also contain veiled warnings to cabinet colleagues such as the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, that they must show more discipline. May will warn that “beyond the gossip pages of the newspapers, and beyond the streets, corridors and meeting rooms of Westminster, life continues – the daily lives of ordinary working people go on”. |
| “And they must be our focus today,” she will say. “Not worrying about our job security, but theirs. Not addressing our concerns, but the issues, the problems, the challenges, that concern them. Not focusing on our future, but on the future of their children and their grandchildren – doing everything we can to ensure their tomorrow will be better than our today.” | “And they must be our focus today,” she will say. “Not worrying about our job security, but theirs. Not addressing our concerns, but the issues, the problems, the challenges, that concern them. Not focusing on our future, but on the future of their children and their grandchildren – doing everything we can to ensure their tomorrow will be better than our today.” |
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