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Conservatives and Labour discuss evictions and housebuilding in pre-election lead-up
The Conservatives and Labour have started making some policy announcements this week, with evictions and housebuilding under the microscope.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, about election plans, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the Conservatives were “bringing back common sense back to our communities” and that the party would bring “changes to law so that disruptive tenants can be easily evicted”.
Other actions included raising fines on utility companies who botch the restoration of pavements, flytipping offences garnering points on offenders’ driver’s licences, and the introduction of a hotspot policing programme to stamp out anti-social behaviour.
The Renters’ Reform Bill, which has been shelved due to the election being called, did contain some measures on anti-social behaviour, specifically around grounds for possession, but the headline measures of the bill included plans to abolish Section 21, get rid of fixed-term tenancies and introduce a new registration scheme for landlords.
Some have said that the announcement seems an about-turn for the Conservatives given the Renters Reform Bill, however, no further detail of what the change in law would be has been announced as yet.
On the other side of the camp, Labour said that it planned to build one-and-a-half million homes, although a specific time period has not been specified.
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On its website, Labour said that it would reform planning laws in order to achieve this figure and first-time buyers would get “first dibs” on properties, adding that this would be part of its plan for economic stability.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed last week that a general election will take place on 4 July, saying it was time for the UK to decide “who they trust”.
Following the election announcement, brokers said that “concrete plans” on housing affordability and undersupply would be needed in election campaigns. There was also some debate about whether the election would impact mortgage rates.
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