The countdown to the UK general election has begun, the date has been set for May the 6th and politicians are pushing forward their campaigns to fight for every vote.
It is vital that housing is at the top of the political agenda and that the next government invest more in social housing in order to achieve many public policy objectives, including better educational achievements, improvement of lives by promoting better health outcomes, providing more training and job opportunities, providing sustainable development and helping to overcome social exclusion and poverty.
Community Housing Cymru along with the National Housing Federation in England, The Scottish Housing Federation and the Northern Ireland Housing Federation, have drawn up a UK Housing Manifesto and have been lobbying prospective parliamentary candidates on three key housing issuesAlthough much of housing is devolved, the four UK housing federations believe that these three areas affect every corner of the UK and that they must be key issues in the forth coming general election.The issues are: •New supply to avoid a further housing crisis•Climate change•Financial inclusionTo illustrate how housing associations could benefit from these issues being addressed, Community Housing Cymru have met with one of their members based in South Wales, who are in the process of building over 100 new affordable homes on land acquired from Newport council. The homes will be built to sustainable code level 5 and as a result tenants can expect to pay as little as £5 a week on their energy bills. Darrell Bolton, corporate director at Fairlake explains more in this short video:
Make Housing A Priority
Did you know that:
* Every £1 spent improving heating in homes saves the NHS £34.19.
* Children living in acutely bad housing are 20% more likely to attend A&E than other children.
* 25% of children in bad housing gain no GCSEs.
* Early intervention by housing management staff resolves about 75% of ASB cases.
Housing is devolved to Wales – why is it important to lobby prospective parliamentary candidates?
Housing lies within the current devolved fields as set out in the Government of Wales Act 2006.
Although much of housing policy is devolved, some is not. The National assembly of Wales does not have full law-making powers, as primary legislation on Welsh affairs continues to be made in the UK Parliament at Westminster. The general election therefore presents a key opportunity to put clear messages to politicians about what the sector is doing, and what it could do in the future.
Housing has never been more important, and so it is vital to push our political engagement to a higher level.
As stated before, most of housing policy is devloved but the four UK housing federations believe that there are three key areas that are UK-wide and that must be key issues in the forthcoming general election. Our joint manifesto can be downloaded from the right hand side.
A list of prospective parliamentary candidates (PPC) can be accessed by clicking here