Build more social homes

Our housing motion was debated and carried with a qualification. We called for the building of 100,000 council homes, ending the right to buy confirming current policy but recognising it’s stalled, reforming housing finance accounts, greening of the social estate, insourcing of jobs, ending no fault evictions which was a new policy for GMB. We also called on the GMB to mount a political campaign to achieve these goals. The motion was moved by another delegate and was carried with qualification.

The words of our motion were as follows,

M276 End the housing crisis by building social homes

Congress welcomes the housing composite resolution passed at the Labour Party conference in 2021, which included the main demands of the Labour Campaign for Council Housing.  

Congress believes that it is necessary for the Government to take action now to end the housing crisis by,

➢ Fully funding councils to deliver the building of 150,000 social rent homes each year, including 100,000 council homes – building on commitments previously made by GMB.

➢ Ending Right to Buy  – in recognition that previous attempts to redraw the legislation have failed.

➢ Reviewing council housing debt to address underfunding of housing revenue accounts

➢ Fund the retro-fitting of council housing to cut greenhouse gases, provide jobs and promote a shift from outsourcing to Direct Labour Organisations – in recognition of the urgent climate emergency and the looming energy bill crisis

➢ Ending Section 21 (no fault) evictions

Congress affirms the policy of LP Conference and calls upon Labour to place these actions at the centre of its housing policies and implement them as part of the next Labour Govt’s programme.

We therefore

➢ Call on the GMB and the Labour Party nationally to implement these policies as a matter of urgency.

➢ Call on Labour Groups across England to propose that Councils declare a housing emergency to campaign for those key demands.

This may include lobbying local MPs, the Local Government Association and other organisations, working with tenant groups and trades unions.

Congress instructs the CEC and the political department to liaise with the Parliamentary Labour Party GMB Group, and the Labour shadow front bench to plan and execute a campaign in Parliament to further these aims and for the next Labour Govt to adopt appropriate reforms.

Congress instructs the CEC and the political department to liaise with the Association of Labour Councillors, and to instruct all GMB delegates and affiliated branches to bring this to the attention of Labour Parties and Labour Groups. It further calls on GMB sponsored councillors to campaign for these goals.