Of all the crises our Government inherited last year, housing was arguably the deepest and most severe.
Almost any statistic you pick illustrates this clearly. Homelessness, up. Children in temporary accommodation in Suffolk has increased by 33% in the last five years alone. Housebuilding - of any kind, never mind of affordable, social, or council homes - at rock bottom.
The building safety crisis affecting people across the country – including here in Ipswich – even now, eight years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Our Labour government promised change, and we are delivering on that pledge.
As I write, our Government’s Renters’ Rights Bill is going through the final stages of parliamentary scrutiny. Once passed, it will constitute the biggest uplift in renters’ rights in a generation.
Then, last week, the Chancellor invested a massive £39 billion into building new social and affordable homes. We have introduced new building targets to get councils and housebuilders moving. We have reformed the planning system, to boost economic growth and get Britain building.
Through our skills and apprenticeships revolution, investing in our young people’s futures, this Labour government is ensuring we have the tradespeople we need to meet our ambitious target of 1.5 million more homes built by the end of the Parliament.
On Thursday, the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, announced that, as part of our huge investment into a new ten-year Affordable Homes Programme, young people leaving care and domestic abuse survivors will now have better access to social housing.
This is addition to last year’s reforms to remove barriers for all former UK Armed Forces veterans to access social housing, who now have priority access to social housing.
It also including multi-million-pound funding for a dedicated wraparound service for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness and ensures they have access to specialist support for employment and independent living.
However, this isn’t just national initiative. Locally, I have helped secure millions of pounds for tower blocks impacted by the building safety crisis, and Ipswich Borough Council have done great work to build more affordable houses and retrofit their existing housing stock, driving down energy costs for residents.
Our Government has also provided an extra grant to tackle homelessness here in our town.
While we are making good progress in turning the tide, I know there is still so much more to be done, and that is why I wanted to hear first-hand from people here in our town about the challenges relating to housing.
Earlier this month, I hosted a Town Hall in south-east Ipswich - the first in my Summer Series - to hear first-hand from people here in our town about the range of housing-related issues they are facing.
From saving for deposit to tackling dodgy landlords, and from poor-quality housing to the maelstrom of temporary accommodation or homelessness; there was so much to think about.
My Summer Series continues this Saturday – this time we will be talking about health. Again, though our Labour government has made great strides, starting to whittle down waiting lists, providing extra dental appointments, and investing in a new radiotherapy machine for our local area - there is a lot of work ahead.
So please do get involved in my Summer Series and make your voice heard, so we can build a greater Ipswich, together.
You can find out more details about Jack Abbott MP’s Summer Series - and complete his Residents’ Survey - here: www.jackabbott.org/summerseries
Share