Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

And how many of that total (632,127) are local authority or housing association???

Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

Uncle Joe.

I think some are privately owned and the owners can't afford to repair them. They should be compusary purchased or auctioned.

Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

Yes, but how many??? - that's what I asked you for - the relative statistics.

Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

So what do you suggest UJ?

Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

Give back the power of local authorities to build affordable housing, any (private) properties left empty for a year, to be taken over by the local authority and used to house those on the waiting list. A ban on the sale of any 'social' housing be it, council owned or housing association.

Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

Most local councils are more worried about losing their gold plated index linked pensions than anything else anarchy might arise if they went about stealing private property ,

Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

Surely the sale of council houses allowed many people to get on to the private housing ladder, or do you think that being a council tenant should be a compulsory way of life for all people on lower incomes? Speak to your council if you want them to provide more houses, but I think you will find that most people, who struggled to buy their own property, don't want to be paying more taxes to provide homes for those who didn't!

Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

There is a housing shortage generally regardless of ownership, and is caused by too many people and not enough land, with only one of those causes being soluble.

At some point population growth will have to be addressed, so do we address it when we have concreted over the last square yard of grass, or address it now so that our existing populace can continue to enjoy a good existence with some natural beauty left for future generations?

Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

There will be a devide .
The better off will live in the countryside .
London with be full of rich foreign obligarchs and their slaves who sleep on the floor in the kids room.
The poor will live in concrete jungles and the nearest they will see to our green and pleasant land will be a pot plant .

Re: Who says we don't have a housing shortage???

I agree with you Barry, but do you really think that any British parliament will ever have the guts to do what China did?Even if they do what will we do with the abandoned unwanted babies that will be left on doorsteps?... but that is another topic for a different thread!