Safe, secure homes for all – Labour’s 5 Step Plan for social housing
Labour has announced its 5 Step Plan for social housing – delivering real change for people right here in Blackpool.
A huge proportion of the casework I receive is to do with housing. I hear daily from people like Abi – a young mother in her 20s with a seven-month-old daughter – who are doing everything right, but are being let down.
Abi was kicked out of her mum’s house while six months pregnant. Since then, she’s worked hard to find somewhere to live – eventually securing a flat in the town centre. But that flat has serious problems. She’s told me how people regularly get into the building to sleep rough and take drugs in the communal corridors – the same corridors Abi walks down with her baby in her arms.
Abi’s tenancy ends in less than a month. She’s applied for every house available but keeps getting turned down because she’s a single mum and currently unemployed. That uncertainty is putting enormous pressure on her – and she’s not alone.
Right now, more than 12,000 people in Blackpool are stuck on the social housing waiting list. It’s unacceptable. We need a long-term plan to fix this – and now, we finally have one.
The Labour Government has launched a £39 billion plan to deliver a decade of renewal in social and affordable housing – the biggest boost to housebuilding in a generation. Across the country, we’ll build 300,000 new homes, including 180,000 for social rent, linked to local incomes and prioritised for those who need them most.
This isn’t just about building new homes – it’s about making existing ones better too. Here in Blackpool, £30 million has already been committed to upgrading local housing with energy-efficient, low-carbon heating – helping to cut bills and keep families warm in winter.
We’re also backing councils with the funding and powers they need to build again. For years, Right to Buy sales have outpaced replacements. We’re changing that by letting councils keep 100% of the receipts and protecting new council homes from sale for 35 years. It’s a housing revolution – and we’re making it happen.
Here’s how our 5 Step Plan is turning things around:
Delivering record funding – £39 billion to build social and affordable homes, with 60% for social rent.
Rebuilding capacity – with low-interest loans, rent reform and support for housing associations and councils.
Reforming regulation – to raise standards, improve safety and make sure tenants are protected.
Reinvigorating council housebuilding – so local authorities can build at scale again.
Forging new partnerships – working with developers, councils and providers to build the homes we need.
This is about real change for people like Abi and the thousands of others across Blackpool who deserve a safe and secure place to call home.
I recently raised the housing crisis in Blackpool directly with the Prime Minister in Parliament, because I will not stop fighting until this town gets the investment and housing it needs. No matter our income or background, we all deserve a decent home – and with this plan, we’re finally starting to make that a reality.
Together, we can fix the housing crisis – and build a better Blackpool for everyone.
