More affordable homes, fairer allocations

The draft Queen's Speech was launched yesterday. It contains ten key initiatives for the coming year and you can read the document: Building Britain's Future here.

For me, the stand-out most important initiative was the expansion of Labour's affordable housing programme. Housing is my number 1 political priority because it is such a big problem locally - made even more pressing by the global recession.

The critical idea in Building Britain's Future is not the extra funding - some £110 million for affordable housing; or the recognition - at last - that we need many, many more affordable homes to rent; but the changes to how these homes get allocated.

It is right that need for a home is by far the top priority in allocating homes. But until now it has been the only consideration. That means that for many, many people on the housing waiting list there is no realistic chance of getting housed because those in greater need constantly get slotted-in ahead of them.

The time has now come for length of time on a waiting list to be given due consideration. This is not some cheap "local homes for local people" gimmick - it is simply a recognition that years spent in unsuitable, overcrowded housing creates need in itself.

It's why, locally, we in Labour are arguing that Wandsworth's housing allocations policy should give those on the waiting list 10 points for every year they are on it. That is hardly a radical change - but what it does is create an escalator for everyone. No longer will people face the prospect of zero chance of ever being rehoused.

What it must not become, however, is an excuse not to build many more affordable homes. The fact that the Conservatives have halved the amount of affordable homes to rent in our borugh: from 32,000 to barely 16,000, is the critical reason why we have such a massive housing problem in Putney.

It's why our area is so polarised.

It's why our estates, instead of being successful communities, have become in many cases buy-to-let ghettos with huge turnover in residents every single year.

It's why waiting lists and homelessness have soared in Wandsworth.

It's why so many local sons and daughters have to move miles away from their communities to start their adult lives.

And it has a knock-on effect of artificially inflating property prices.

So we need more homes, and fairer allocations. The Conservatives want to sell off even more affordable homes, will slash investment in housing if they get into government and oppose our fairer allocations plan. That's the clear choice on housing.