Addressing delegates at the conference in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary said: “The UK is one of the wealthiest and most developed countries in the world. A good quality, affordable, safe roof over our heads is something that we should be able to take as a given. Instead, we face a housing crisis. A crisis which has been caused directly by the policies and decisions taken by the Conservative Government over the 13 years they've been in power.
 
“Millions of people across the country were impacted by the mini-Budget in September 2022. The announcement of 45 billion pounds in unfunded tax cuts brought chaos in the financial markets. Causing interest rates to skyrocket, and making mortgages become unmanageable for many.
 
“This was yet another failure by the Conservative Government that has fed into the housing crisis. They have failed to fund Councils to build social housing. They have failed to protect renters from rising costs and poor quality housing and they have failed to build enough affordable homes to buy or rent for the people that need them.
 
“One of the ways we can take action on the housing crisis is by bringing empty homes back into use. In the midst of a housing crisis, it is infuriating to see  so many empty houses. Often falling into disrepair and causing a blight on our communities.
 
“The latest Government data shows that in England there are over 600,000 homes currently vacant. More than 238,000 have been vacant for over six months and yet there are over 100,000 families trapped in temporary accommodation, who could make use of those homes.  
 
Councils can charge more council tax when homes are left standing vacant for long periods. In theory, this should help generate revenue for the council and it should discourage property owners from leaving houses vacant, but this varies depending on the resources of the council and the specifics of the case.
 
“In practice, what we need is solid, transparent legislation from the Government. We need to make the rules clearer and we need commitments from local councils; to use all of the levers at their disposal to address the housing crisis. Bringing empty homes back into use quickly helps local councils. It is more environmentally friendly than building new homes and it helps to keep strong thriving local communities.
 
Referring to a proposition aimed to help renter secure a mortgage, Paddy Lillis concluded: “People rent for many reasons. In an ideal housing market, renting would be a choice that people could make because they wanted flexibility, but in reality, many people feel that they have been forced into renting because they are not yet able to buy.They are then unable to save for a deposit as rent payments can be considerably higher than mortgage payments. Even where this isn't the case, many people don't have any spare money to save for a deposit.
 
“The cost of living crisis has forced people into financial difficulty. It has forced people to make hard choices for themselves and their families. People renting must prioritise their rent in order to keep their home and there is no room in many budgets to both pay rent and to save for a deposit. The fact is that it is now more difficult to get a mortgage. Interest rates have risen significantly and if you can't afford a large deposit, it's even harder to get a good deal.
 
“People who have paid their rent on time, in full, for years, should have this taken into account when they are applying for a mortgage. They can demonstrate that they are able to meet their commitments; they have shown that they can budget and prioritise; so the risk to the lender is very low and this should allow them to pay a smaller deposit.
 
“Some banks in America take this approach and there is no reason we could not do the same here, but banks will not do this without Government intervention. In the housing crisis, we need the Government to take action to support people in any way they can and this is one simple way that they can do that.
 
Notes for editors:

Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk

For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion