It is a familiar story that parties find it politically expedient to oppose new homes being built, particularly within a given politician’s local area. It happens time and again, even among those who profess an understanding or recognition of the scale of the housing crisis and its injustice.

We desperately need more homes nationally, but problems with housing affordability are most acute in the South East of England and the Home Counties surrounding London. When we talk of “the right homes in the right places” it is all too easy to think that means “not here”.

The reality for the Liberal Democrats is now that “not here” doesn’t work. We have been enormously successful in selling a vision of a progressive, forward looking and practical politics to large parts of the South East and Home Counties. In the East of England we won seven MPs, and in the South East we won twenty-four – around 3,500 votes off of supplanting the Conservatives as the second party in the region.

This success and our ambition for more comes with profound responsibility. The kind of practical politics we advocate – and indeed our manifesto – demands more homes and quickly.
Labour’s proposed National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) rightly aims housing delivery at areas with the greatest affordability challenges. Their proposal, which is now out for consultation, has taken housing targets up to 371,000 a year and made them mandatory. That is a positive step, and I hope it means that we can build with the confidence that no neighbouring authority is shirking its responsibilities.

However, Labour’s plans aren’t quite enough. 371,000 homes a year is still lower than the 380,000 homes per year that featured in the Liberal Democrat manifesto. It is unfortunate that Labour have taken their foot off the pedal in London in particular, where housing is entirely unaffordable, yet targets have dropped by some 20%.

I’ve chosen a career in planning to get homes built. I know the criticism from many in my sector that says London’s targets were unachievable. However, rather than lowering those targets it should be the ambition of the Labour government to make those targets work with new densification and by enabling more challenging sites. London is our golden goose, the one truly global city we have. To allow its housing crisis to persist is to hand a free card to its global competitors – if you want to know how bad it has gotten look at this story from one of our parliamentary staff last year.

There is a real opportunity for us to drive Labour to be more progressive on housing. With research suggesting we need to build somewhere between 4 and 4.3 million homes to satiate demand, we must ensure Labour really delivers the homes its promised. Most importantly, that has to include at least the 90,000 social homes a year Shelter research suggests are required.

With that scale of building, we also need to make sure these homes are truly fit for the future with ambitious Biodiversity Net Gain targets, a move to make British homes a gold standard for efficiency and climate friendliness. Development can be a positive contribution to a local community, local authorities deserve the power to make sure that is always the case with the accountability to ensure they are always delivering for their area.

I was proud to stand as a Liberal Democrat candidate at the General Election knowing we are on the side of young people who aspire to home ownership with a mandatory national target of 380,000 homes per year.

It would be a mistake to forget that promise we made at the General Election, particularly to the generation who are currently locked out of home ownership in their area. It would also be a mistake to frustrate delivery of the next generation of homes rather than working constructively with ministers to get it right, and our position in local government gives a real opportunity to opt for the latter.

Instead, we must seize the opportunity to support and advocate for the annual delivery of 380,000 clean, green homes of the future. At the same time, we should continue to ask for the power for local authorities to set clear standards for the homes that suit their areas best.

The alternative may just be a nasty race to the bottom with the Conservatives on local housing numbers in the South East. That will harm our credibility, keep young people locked out of a home and hamper economic growth, in the end it will only serve the next Conservative leader.

* Charlie Murphy is a former Vice Chair of Young Liberals.