This Labour Government is committed to the biggest increase in affordable housing in a generation, and at this Budget we’ve taken our first steps to achieving that.
We’ve inherited the most acute housing crisis in living memory; 150,000 children living in temporary accommodation and nearly 1.3 million households on social housing waiting lists. Despite this, the previous Government handed nearly £2bn in grant funding for homes back to the Treasury, showing their complete disregard for people in desperate need of a decent home.
This harsh reality is not lost on Oldham. We currently have 7228 households on the social housing register, with 793 children living in temporary accommodation.
Oldham Councils Housing Options Front Door at the Civic centre, providing vital housing support, currently averages 100 residents a day showing how deeply the housing crisis is felt in Oldham.
Housing services can not confront the crisis through underfunding, undersupply, and a lack of support from the government. This government promised change, and our Budget has shown we will deliver on that.
The Chancellor has set out that we will make an immediate injection of £500m of additional capital into the current Affordable Homes Programme for next year. This will support up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes and takes overall investment in housing supply for next year to over £5bn.
This Labour Government is kickstarting the biggest boost to social and affordable housebuilding in a generation – protecting stock, building more homes, and providing certainty and stability for providers.
At the general election I pledged to you that my priority is for everyone in Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton to have access to a decent home. We now have a government also committed to this goal, and as your MP, I will work with the council to turn the page on Oldham’s housing crisis.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 