Mayor Election 2016 / News
Greens in housing pledge at campaign launch
The Green Party launched its mayoral election campaign with a promise to build 2,000 new homes a year to help ease the housing crisis.
With housing emerging as a key battleground in May’s vote, Tony Dyer, the party’s candidate, committed himself to delivering 8,000 homes during his term – 2,800 of which will be affordable.
Dyer said he plans to release unused council-owned or council-controlled land to housing associations in order to ease crippling rises in house prices and rent in Bristol.
“The council cannot solve this problem alone but it can play a vital role in ensuring we get the housing we need,” he said.
Dyer’s promise came as a coalition of housing associations and charities called for a “mayor for homes”, setting targets which the Green Party believe they can meet.
It also comes after Labour candidate Marvin Rees launched his campaign two weeks ago with a similar pledge of 8,000 new homes – 3,200 affordable.
The Conservative Party have also put forward plans to kick-start house building with a new municipal housing trust.
Dyer distanced himself from Labour, who are considered to be competing for a similar demographic of voters, saying that his policy was more detailed.
He said the Green Party had already identified the land that could be used and was already in talks with key stakeholders.
“It’s OK to say we will develop those types of homes, but we are also saying these are the sites we are going to deliver on,” he told Bristol24/7.
Bristol saw an 18 per cent rise in average monthly rent in 2015, higher than anywhere else in the country.
House prices have also soared in the last three years, rising by about 10 per cent per year in some area.
Average rents have reached £814 per month and average house prices have climbed to £235,547 – almost 10 times the £24,830 average salary in the city.
The Mayor for Homes coalition – including Business West, the National Housing Federation, Acorn and Great Western – is asking all mayoral candidates to commit to producing an action plan for housing within their first 100 days in office.
Kat Hart, from National Housing Federation said: “On May 5 Bristol needs to elect a mayor for homes – one who pledges to do everything possible to get Bristol building and provide affordable housing for all those in the city who need it.”
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