Lib Dems tell developers: if you won’t build the houses, we will

Tim Farron has laid down the law to developers, warning that unless they build the homes Britain needs, the government will.

Tim has made house building one of his very top manifesto commitments, having campaigned to increase Britain’s housing supply throughout his career. The Liberal Democrat manifesto will commit to ensuring 300,000 homes a year are built for sale and rent by the end of the parliament.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron said:

“If developers won’t deliver the homes Britain needs, we will. The government will become a house-builder itself, bringing in the contractors to actually construct the homes and then selling them into the market. The only way to get a grip on the housing crisis is by firm government action. The market is broken and has failed to deliver.

“This is personal for me. As a teenager, I got into politics after I watched a repeat of Cathy Come Home, a heartbreaking film about a couple who were made homeless, and I joined the housing charity Shelter as a result. As an MP, I have seen first-hand the misery caused by people not having a proper home.

“Getting a place of my own and then making a home for my family was one of the proudest moments of my life. But for many people in the next generation, it is virtually impossible to get on the housing ladder. They deserve a helping hand.

 “If we have to penalise developers for land-banking and let local authorities hike up council tax on empty or un-built homes, so be it. We will set up a Housing and Infrastructure Development Bank to provide long-term capital for new settlements.”