Political opinion: A new Prime Minister and an ambitious vision that trusts local leadership

Congratulations to new Leader of the Labour Party Andy Burnham, and from last Monday, our Prime Minister.   

I was one of those who supported him not just now, but last time he stood for the leadership in 2015.  A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then, of course, and shows the importance of perseverance in politics! 

Everything the Prime Minister has said in taking office fills me with strong optimism for the future, because he is setting out a real vision for our country that will change it for the better, and is unmistakably Labour. 

There is a new emphasis because it is all about devolving powers based on his own experiences of delivering it in Manchester, and trusting local people to deliver that real change themselves in their own areas. 

One of the most heartening developments, for me at least, has been his recent announcement on council housing.  I pay close attention to these matters and this is the first time I have seen it so pointed towards building council housing, successive governments up until now for many decades had always spoken of ‘social housing’, arguably keeping it deliberately more open to housing associations, over councils. 

I believe councils are inherently better placed with a ringfenced housing account and ability to raise funding for building works, or creating their own in-house construction companies, over housing associations who have always been too risk averse for my liking and have recently indicated plans for relatively low numbers of additional social homes. 

The key difference is that overriding connection to place.  Councils like us here at Crawley Borough who retained our council housing stock are much more likely to invest in marginally viable schemes as they have a direct benefit for the communities we lead. 

For housing associations and other social registered providers, it will be business case led, and they will have a duty first to choose the one that benefits them as an organisation.  

I hope Homes England will back up this approach by the Prime Minister.  I say, give us councils the tools to do the job and we will do it.  We will largely utilise existing brownfield sites within the Borough without causing overdevelopment, or reducing the green and pleasant character of our town, all in line with our agreed Local Plan. 

Crawley has a housing emergency - there are 2,500 households, all with a local connection, on the council's waiting list and many hundreds trapped in temporary accommodation. Even if we were to build the 1,000 council homes we aspire to with national support (and that is a far larger target than would have been realistic before this current Government), that still wouldn't help everyone. And it will take some years to achieve. 

Andy Burnham and his new Cabinet have to pick up many problems but for me, this needs to be one of their highest priorities.  I wish them the very best in leading our country forward to the brightest future possible.