Andy Burnham, who is a candidate to be the next Prime Minister after Keir Starmer resigned, made a big promise during his speech. Burnham set out his vision during his first major policy speech.
Andy Burnham promised a huge council house building drive
Burnham, who addressed the audience in Manchester, said the country has been stuck in a housing trap since the 1980s. He said, “As a result, the country is in a housing trap. We are forced to chase rents in the private rented sector through the benefit system. When governments try to control these costs by freezing local housing allowance, it makes families homeless and places unfunded pressures on councils when they have to pay for temporary accommodation.”
Burnham also mentioned how the crisis had an impact on the country’s public finances. The former mayor of Greater Manchester also recalled his days during his tenure as Mayor. He said, “We set about building a new approach, a new politics based on the exact opposite of the Westminster approach. Place first, not party first. Problem solving, not point scoring. Long-term, not short-term.”
According to reports, the new homes will be built on vacant public land to push the housing boom. Burnham has started to outline the plan that he will implement if he becomes Prime Minister. He talked about education for children, social benefits for the community, and growth.
He aims to build a council housing programme that is designed to develop affordable housing for people across the country. This would benefit the economy by creating more jobs, supporting communities, and also easing public finances, he said during his speech.
While he made big promises in his speech, the lack of rivals has fueled the speculation that he would eventually succeed Keir Starmer.
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Originally reported by Aman Sharma for Mandatory