Green Party MP Siân Berry has put forward a radical proposal to address the UK's dual housing crisis: helping struggling buy-to-let landlords while rapidly increasing the stock of social homes. The plan, dubbed 'buy the supply', calls for central government funding to empower local councils to purchase properties directly from the market.
A Tailor-Made Solution for a Pressured Market
Responding to reports that landlords are being squeezed out of the market, Berry, the MP for Brighton Pavilion, suggested her long-advocated policy offers a perfect solution. The core idea is for councils to buy suitable homes that come onto the market, including former right-to-buy properties, and immediately add them to their social housing supply.
This approach, Berry argues, bypasses the slow and risky process of finding land and building new developments. It delivers 'construction-risk-free' social housing in established neighbourhoods with existing schools, parks, and health services. For landlords facing financial pressure, it provides a 'soft landing' through a properly funded acquisition programme, rather than relying on increasing rents.
The Stark Reality of England's Housing Emergency
The urgency of the policy is underscored by shocking statistics. More than 169,000 children in England are currently living in temporary accommodation, a situation that severely impacts their health, happiness, and education. Berry highlights that expensive private renting has become the dominant form of housing in her Brighton constituency and other urban areas since the introduction of right to buy.
'We need as many new council homes as possible,' Berry stated, criticising the reliance on a sluggish building model that often produces apartments too small for families. She describes 'buy the supply' as 'quite simply a faster, good-value supplement to building' – an option currently ignored by central government.
A Broader Perspective on the Rental Market
In a related letter, Benjamin McKechnie from Kingsbury, London, challenged recent warnings from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR cautioned that policies squeezing private landlords risk driving up rents if demand outpaces supply.
McKechnie argues this view is too narrow, failing to see that many renters are potential first-time buyers. A contraction in the private rental market could ultimately lead to greater housing security for millions, allowing them the simple freedom to 'hang up a single picture frame without fear of losing a deposit'. He suggests any necessary smaller rental market could be filled by council housing.
Together, these perspectives frame a potential win-win strategy: using public acquisition to stabilise the housing market, provide an exit for willing landlords, and urgently address the severe shortage of secure, affordable family homes.
