The chance for new housing, of an improved standard, has been sabotaged. The dream of home ownership for thousands has been thwarted.
Many of these buildings could be replaced with new homes. New rules are needed to end this scandal.
The cost of putting individuals and families into temporary accommodation is significant. Finding secure accommodation is imperative.
As the Prime Minister said, many people have lent us their vote, and they won’t be so generous next time if we get it wrong.
Some local authorities don’t even keep a record of whether the buildings are in use.
Can we honestly say that a house with damp is acceptable? Or a home with poor insulation, when it costs an extra £650 per year to heat?
Bowman and Westlake’s policy ideas are perfectly compatible with this end, but pitching them as a city and town agenda risks creating a false impression.
The UK needs a state-of-the-art ‘gigafactory’, and it should be built here in the West Midlands alongside our established automotive cluster.
There needs to be the ability to evict when that is justified. Undue delay and obstruction and the rental market will shrink.
The rest of our economy is shifting to greater sustainability. The system to provide places to live should do the same.
A stricter separation between church and state at local level would safeguard against political patronage.
In the UK, we have lost the capacity for individuals to provide or commission homes individually tailored to their needs.
Plus: We must be the Party for social housing as well as home ownership. And: why don’t we trumpet our history of social reform?
The Conservatives are the natural political home for those who value national identity and are open to the world.
In this new political battle, the greatest tension will not be left v right or even fiscal
doves v economic hawks. It will be a battle between creativity and convention.