Greens announce 10 year plan for 20,000 genuinely affordable homes in Greater Manchester
Geraldine Coggins: “Labour has failed in Greater Manchester, providing virtually no new affordable homes. I will end Labour’s developer rip off.”
The Green Party’s candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor Geraldine Coggins, made the announcement today for 20,000 affordable homes in a meeting with housing campaigners.
The pledge will involve purchasing and refurbishing up to 10,000 homes and building up to 10,000 new publicly owned homes.
The homes that are purchased will be publicly owned, not for profit, not for property developers but for the people of Greater Manchester and rented. Purchased homes will also be made available quickly. Every penny of our rental income will get reinvested, which is not the case for Labour’s private-developer model.
A Green mayor of Greater Manchester will end Labour’s developer-led rip off by setting up a publicly owned provider, Homes for Greater Manchester, to take housing back from big money.
This new body will combine building new low-carbon homes and using a buy, retrofit, let model to quickly bring empty and derelict homes back into use.
By contrast, Labour’s model for Greater Manchester has been to hand over large sums of public money to developers in return for little to none affordable housing.
Under Labour, Manchester Housing Investment Loans Fund loaned out nearly a £billion of taxpayer money, 60% to one developer Renaker which has provided no affordable homes at Deansgate Sq or across Manchester, out of 6,110 homes it has built (source GMCA report).
Geraldine Coggins, said:
“As mayor, I will deliver 20,000 genuinely affordable homes, overseen by a new public housing body which puts people before profit. Labour has failed in Greater Manchester, providing virtually no new affordable homes. I will end Labour’s developer rip off.
“For too long, the failing Labour model has put the interests of developers first, the people of Manchester second, luxury flats first, and virtually non-existent affordable housing. I will do things differently. Affordable homes for people. If I am mayor, there will be much stricter lending rules, I will not hand over cash for luxury flats.
“The Greens will start a housing revolution in Greater Manchester, real homes, not luxury rip off flats, for families, and house building and renovations of existing homes will kick start a new industrial revolution in Greater Manchester, creating thousands of new jobs and supporting the local economy.”
Further information
More details will be made available when Geraldine launches her manifesto for Greater Manchester.