Emma Reynolds MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Minister, responding to this morning’s house building statistics which show that we’re building less than half the homes we need to keep up with demand, said:

“The truth is the Government has failed to tackle the growing housing shortage which is central to the cost-of-living crisis. Under David Cameron the number of homes built has fallen to the lowest level in peacetime since the 1920s.

“We need to build many more homes to keep up with demand. Owning a home is out of reach of many low and middle-income earners, and rents are rising faster than wages.

“While the increase in housing starts is welcome, the number of homes actually built over the past year is less than half what we need to meet demand and is lower than every year under the last Labour government.”

“Labour is clear that you can’t deal with the cost-of-living crisis without building more homes. That’s why Labour has committed to getting 200,000 homes a year built by 2020. Labour is also committed to reforming the private rented sector by banning rip-off letting agent fees for tenants and introducing long-term stable tenancies with predictable rents.“
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