đź—“ Date: Monday, 26 September 2022
⏳ Time: 14:00
đź“ŤLocation: Lower Galleria Room 1, ACC Liverpool, Kings Dock Street, Liverpool, England, L3 4FP
SME4Labour and Thakeham Fringe: Delivering Sustainable Affordable Housing
Event summary:
We were joined at this discussion by Rob Boughton from Thakeham, Metro Mayor Dan Norris, Barry Gardiner MP, Rokhsana Fiaz Mayor of Newham, Kent Cllr Naushabah Khan and Mike Reader from MACE.
This fringe followed on from the breakfast to discuss how we could deliver sustainable affordable housing under a Labour Government. Barry condemned the state of the Housing market and commended SME4Labour & Thakeham for bringing this group together.
Dan argued that retrofitting old homes should be a key priority for the next Labour government, he has been championing this in the West of England. Whilst new house building must be a priority, we cannot simply write off the existing housing stock as irredeemable.
Rokhsana noted that the Housing supply has contracted in Newham by 33%. This is a crisis facing the people of Newham. Rokhsana agreed with Dan’s point that retrofitting was necessary for the survival of the countrys housing stock. Rokhsana also condemned the practise of buy to let, which continues to strangle the UK’s housing market.
Mike spoke of his experience building homes, and how important it was we continue the great work already going across the country from councils and housebuilders to ensure that homes are fit for purpose. Mike noted that Labour Councils are doing a good job, but often lack the power to enforce housing rules.
Rob concluded by reiterating Thakeham’s commitment to working with local politicians to deliver sustainable affordable housing, despite the inherent costs with such a scheme. He reiterated the encouragement for consumers (including local councils) to prioritise ethical house builders whenever possible.
Speakers:
