Labour’s Creating Fairer, Safe, and Secure Housing for All

26th March, 2025

Yesterday the Labour Government announced the biggest boost to social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. No one should have to live in a cramped, overpriced house-share or a home where the walls and ceiling are covered in damp and mould.

What will this £2 billion investment do?

Deliver up to 18,000 new social and affordable homes across the UK
Support Oxford City Council’s plan to build over 1,500 new council homes in our city in the next 8 years
Give social housing providers the stability they need to provide good quality affordable housing
Help create more jobs and get people into work – part of the Government’s plan to build up the next generation of British engineers, brickies, and chippies with 60,000 new jobs
Fight homelessness, housing insecurity, and the decline in home ownership
Form one of the steps in the Government’s mission to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament

After 14 years of the Tories, too many people are living in unacceptable conditions with high spiralling rents. And it’s a disgrace that over 150,000 young children are living in temporary accommodation. Councils across England will receive the biggest ever cash boost this year to fight homelessness, and the extra £2 billion for housebuilding that the Government has just announced is another huge step in the right direction.

This will support so many hardworking local people and families to live their lives without the constant worry of housing costs and finding reliable and stable housing.

Nationally, the Government is also banning ‘no-fault’ section 21 evictions, and all private landlords will need to sign up to the new Private Renters’ Ombudsman Service. Rules about rent increases are being strengthened, and we’ll end rent bidding, give tenants the right to be allowed to have a pet, and ban discrimination against tenants with children or on benefits.

Locally, our Labour-run Oxford City Council is working hard to support residents, too. All rented properties in Oxford must be licensed, and this is the country’s first such scheme designed to support tenants. When it comes to house-building, the City Council is building over 1,500 council homes over the next years – alongside more affordable housing. This includes building ‘shared ownership’ homes to part-buy for people trying to get onto the housing ladder.

Check whether your private landlord has a license: www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1536/does-your-landlord-have-a-licence

And here: www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1638/oxford-city-council-agrees-budget