Big Issue founder Lord John Bird has urged incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham to give councils stronger powers to buy up or lease empty properties to tackle the homelessness crisis. The call comes as more than one million families languish on waiting lists and record numbers of children are forced to live in temporary accommodation, including B&Bs.
Government-Backed Loan Scheme Proposed
Lord Bird, a crossbench peer, is calling for a government-backed loan scheme that he says would "unlock thousands of new social houses and ease the homelessness crisis." He told The Mirror: "Andy Burnham has an opportunity to show he's serious about tackling homelessness by introducing this on day one of his premiership."
"Across the country, properties sit empty while families languish on waiting lists and councils break the bank to put them in temporary accommodation," Lord Bird said. "This incoming government must think differently if it wants to find long-term solutions to the problems we face. A government-backed loan scheme for councils to lease or buy up empty homes is an obvious way to unlock thousands of new social houses and ease the homelessness crisis."
Amendments to Social Housing Bill
The peer has tabled amendments to the Social Housing Bill in the Lords this week to bring thousands of empty homes back into use for social housing. The amendments aim to reduce the qualifying period for Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) from two years to six months, allowing councils to intervene earlier.
There are an estimated 300,000 homes in England that have been empty for more than six months. Meanwhile, over 1.3 million households are stuck on social housing waiting lists, according to charity Shelter.
Burnham's Housing Pledge
Incoming Prime Minister Burnham has previously indicated that the housing crisis will be a priority. During a speech earlier this month, he pledged the "biggest council housebuilding programme since the postwar period." He described the country as stuck in a "housing trap," noting that nearly 1.5 million fewer council homes exist since the 1980s, when Margaret Thatcher's Right to Buy policy triggered a massive drop in public housing stock.
