OPINION: Council homes transform lives - that's why we're building more

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of showing an official around Froghopper Lane, the new estate of council homes we completed last year. Dozens of residents, young and old are now living happily in these homes – with all of them speaking about how these homes have transformed their lives. Froghopper Lane, just off the Carsic Estate in Sutton is a mixture of houses and bungalows and formed part of the ambitious housing target for 2023 met by your Ashfield Independent Council.

When Margaret Thatcher introduced the ‘right to buy’ council homes schemes in 1980 – I’d argue it was one of the few things she did right. Putting aside closing the pits and snatching milk from thirsty children – the right to buy opened the door to ownership for those who could never otherwise have hoped to get on the housing ladder.

More than two million council homes have now been sold under Right to Buy in 23 years. The major problem with Margaret Thatcher’s right to buy was that there was no plan to replace them. Stocks of Council Homes plummeted to the extent that in Ashfield – we now have between 250 and 300 people bidding for each and every council home.

That’s why, when the Ashfield Independents took over the Council in 2019, we pledged to build more. We are committed to creating communities for those who need them most.

Did you know that when Labour ran this Council from 1974, the Council built… none. Not one.

That’s why I was pleased to see the Labour Party nationally committing to building council homes, like us at their recent conference. Where the Ashfield Independents lead – the national Labour Party follow. I say national Labour Party because locally, the Ashfield Labour Party, in behaviour that would make the likes of Nye Bevan and Tony Benn turn in their graves, are opposing every plan the Ashfield Independents have to build new council homes.

We recently announced our ambitious new aims to build another 200 Council homes over the next four years. We know how council homes transform resident’s lives and won’t be stopped by a local Labour Party standing up for the few…not the many.

Luckily for the people of the Ashfield District, Labour has only 1 councillor out of 35 – and opposing the building of new council homes is one of many reasons why.