Greens to launch local elections campaign with promise on affordable housing which ‘failing Labour councils’ haven’t delivered

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Zack Polanski will launch the Green Party’s local election campaign in Deptford on Thursday morning. 

In his speech, the Green Party leader will target Labour’s record in both local and national government – with a particular focus on its failure to deliver sufficient social and affordable housing, and to maintain existing social housing stock to a decent standard.

Polanski will highlight Labour’s close relationship with housing industry lobbyists and point to the fact that 10% of MPs are landlords, including several Labour ministers.

Setting out the Green Party’s alternative, Polanski will highlight the party’s successes in local government, including the delivery of new and upgraded social and affordable housing. Green-led councils in Lewes and Mid Suffolk have built hundreds of new council homes in recent years. He will also champion bold national housing policies including rent controls and the total abolition of leasehold – which Labour promised and have U-turned on. 

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said:

“People across the country are sick of being taken for granted by the Labour Party. It’s the same story in local councils as it is nationally: Labour assumes that voters have nowhere else to go, so it doesn’t think it has to do anything to try and win them.

Labour is failing and is not on track to deliver the social and affordable housing it pledged. It has U-turned on its promise to scrap the “feudal” leasehold system because it’s more interested in pleasing property developers than freeing 5 million people from the financial burden of service charges.

Labour Housing Secretary Steve Reed recently hosted an exclusive dinner with housing developers who paid £2000 per person to attend.  Given the cozy relationship Labour has with lobbyists, no wonder they always seem to prioritise maximising corporate profits by building unaffordable ‘luxury’ properties, instead of the social and affordable housing we need.

People in this country deserve better. Greens in local government will offer a real alternative to the failing Labour status quo.”

Green Party candidate for Lewisham mayor Cllr Liam Shrivastava said:

“Lewisham has suffered for too long under a complacent and failing Labour council that takes voters for granted. That’s why I left the Labour Party and am now standing as the Green candidate for Mayor of Lewisham, to deliver real change for people here. It’s indefensible that developers have been permitted to deliver just 6% social housing as part of the new Lewisham Shopping Centre development”

Mayor of Hackney candidate Zoë Garbett, a councillor and member of the London Assembly said: 

“As Mayor of Hackney, I will continue my campaign for rent controls which I have used my position on the London Assembly to fight for, but which the failing Labour government has refused to implement.”

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