Reading Liberal Democrats

The Labour Government’s proposal to remove the right of tenants to live in their homes indefinitely and put rents up if they don’t take on a mortgage has been attacked by local Liberal Democrats.

Patrick Murray, Reading West Lib Dems Parliamentary spokesman, stated that:

“There is no greater indication of the moral vacuum and sheer hypcorisy at the heart of the Labour Government than this ridiculously unfair policy. For almost a decade they have forced councils to sell off their housing, whilst refusing to allow them to build more. They have presided over the lowest rate of building affordable housing since the second world war. There is no question as to who is to blame for the extra 1 million people on housing waiting lists in the last decade. The Labour Government has simply not built enough affordable housing. To attack Council tenants in this way is completely unfair- ministers should be ashamed of their failure and take responsibility for it.”

“At the same time they refused to recognise the dangers of the unsustainable housing bubble that forced so many to seek help from the state and has now collapsed bringing ruin to many people, forcing even more to turn to affordable housing. To tell people that if they have a council house they may lose it in a few years, whilst people are losing their homes to repossessions is unbeleivably callous.”

“If they really want to encourage people out of council housing then they should replace the Thatcher Government’s right-to-buy with a right to invest and build more shared ownership, not threaten to put rents up when people are struggling to meet the bills.”

Editor’s Notes:

Patrick Murray was Executive member for Housing on Oxford City Council 2006-8

The Government’s proposals are documented in this Times article