Promoting the Politics of Courage
The government should stop the developers’ charter – and instead set targets to meet housing need, not developers’ greedI’ve long proposed that local authorities should be required to set targets to meet need, rather than simply housebuilding targets.Cornwall is a classic example which demonstrates that setting very high housebuilding targets has massively failed. Cornwall has […]
If money for second homes went to first homes instead we’d have all but solved Cornwall’s housing problems The Conservatives have handed more than £385 million in tax subsidies to second homers in Cornwall in the last decade. If that had been granted for the delivery of first homes for locals instead there’d be […]
Fellow housing justice campaigners and I can celebrate a campaign success – a boost for those who have been fighting to put first homes before second homes. It’s taken decades and won’t happen for another two years – but the prospects of success look encouraging. The proliferation of second homes, holiday lets and Airbnbs have come […]
This week I launch a Charter for Housing Justice. Amongst other things it calls for: 1. Everyone to have a right to a decent, secure, affordable home;2. Radically changing the planning and tax systems to put public good before private gain; first homes before second homes; stronger enforcement powers; and third party right of appeal; […]
Another very merry Christmas for those Second home owners, Air BnB and other property investors who use the business rate tax loophole to avoid paying any tax at all. The Conservative Chancellor announced the Government will hand out yet more taxpayers’ money in the form of Covid aid to them. This news was strangely […]
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Cornwall is one of the fastest developing places in the country. Our housing stock has doubled in the last forty years. But the housing problems of locals have got worse. Conservatives forced Cornwall to take another 52,500 homes in the current plan (2010-2030) and now want to increase again by over 80,000! […]