What we have done in our first year in government to fight for Decent Homes

Labour won the 2024 general election a year ago this week. We campaigned on a promise to change Britain by turning the page on 14 years of chaos & decline under the Tories and deliver economic stability, rebuilt public services, and rising living standards.

At that election, one of my four priorities for Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton was to fight for Decent Homes, and this is what we have done so far to deliver more good quality family homes for local people:

Begun legislating for the Renter’s Rights Bill which will 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟏 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, apply the Decent Home standard to the private rented sector, and end rental bidding wars.

Agreed a Spending Review which includes the biggest investment in affordable housing in a generation – £𝟑𝟗 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, providing the Council with room to go even further than its pledge to build 500 new social homes as part of their ‘local solutions to a national crisis’

Announced planning reforms to deliver the 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament we promised, with the OBR already determining the reforms will bring 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝟒𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬.

𝐎𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 approved by Oldham Council Cabinet to build 2000 new homes and unlock council-owned brownfield land so we can end the housing crisis without ripping up the green belt.

Announced the National Housing Bank to unlock £𝟓𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 and to turbocharge housebuilding.

Expanding our Warm Homes Plan to deliver warmer, cleaner to heat homes and 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 of pounds on their energy bills this winter.

Drive forward our brownfield-first approach – as I have seen at visits to 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞 housing development in Coldhurst and 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 on Fitton Hill – so local people are not forced out of the community they call home in order to get on the housing ladder.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 through Places for Everyone, a framework opposed by opposition parties in Oldham who are putting at risk the very green spaces we have fought so hard to protect.

Campaigned to address the crisis in temporary accommodation, given that at the end of last year over 7,500 families were on the social housing register in Oldham alone, and in our borough there are currently 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝟕𝟐𝟓 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Completing our 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 for veterans, carers and key workers, including veterans’ capital housing grants totalling almost £3.7m which supported veterans last year with housing needs by developing new-build projects, or refurbishing accommodation.

We are encouraged by this progress so far but not complacent. Our goal is a decade of national renewal and there is much more still left to do.