I made it clear over the summer and in my conference speech that housing and homelessness would be a top priority for me as leader. I said we would oppose the Right to Buy extension to Housing Associations and fight the Government tooth and nail in the Lords.
The fight is now well underway. I have been speaking in Parliament and will continue to lead our campaign in the House of Commons. After Christmas the legislation will be debated in the Lords, where our Lib Dem team will aim to cause the Government serious problems – which they have shown us in the last few weeks that they can do!
I’ve also been challenging housing associations that have backed the ‘voluntary deal’ to extend Right to Buy, which is now being used as a shield by the Government to defend its plans to sell off council homes. I wrote a letter to David Orr, the Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, and will meet him soon to discuss this further. Not all housing associations back the plans, especially small and rural ones, and it is not too late for the NHF to change it’s mind.
Many members have told me that they share my concern about the lack of decent, affordable housing. The current plans affect both those who are on the waiting list for a home, desperate for a secure place to bring up their children, and also those who are worried that their children or grandchildren may never be able to afford a home of their own.
We need to continue to work together to oppose the extension of Right to Buy and the sell off of council homes to fund it. You can sign and share our online petition. The Government has it’s priorities wrong when it comes to housing, and this all-out assault on social and affordable homes must be stopped.
* Tim Farron is Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Agriculture and MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale.
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3 Comments
Why have the Tories got away with changing the democratic appeal procedure into fracking? Liberals should be fighting this. Council & parliamentary seats could be gained by opposing fracking.
It’s interesting what energises our respondents. Compare the response to this article and others looking at something we could actually do something about and the multitude of replies to, for example, the Middle East crisis in which our little old country is virtually a bystander, and in which our so called ‘liberal’ voice is of little significance. By the way, Mr Thatcher, what on earth has this article got to do with fracking?
Of course we should oppose the right to buy at every opportunity. But it doesn’t appear to be sexy enough for most of our colleagues.
Tim has recently commented on fracking,& I wanted to know what he thought about the government’s announcements last week.. If we allow fracking,it won’t matter what house you live in,you will end up with poisoned water,sinkholes and other natural disasters.