Rob Smith is a public affairs professional specialising in property and planning, currently serving as Chair of Kingston Conservatives. Let me give you my vision: A man’s right to work as he will, to spend what he earns, to own property, and to have the state as servant and not Read more
With nary a hint of self-awareness, the self-styled “hard man of Brexit” Steve Baker MP recently tweeted a video diatribe against the imminent expansion of the London Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Baker—whose constituency is roughly the same distance from London as England is to France—saw no irony in complaining about Read more
Paul Smith is the Managing Director of The Strategic Land Group, an independent land promoter. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of PricedOut. One of the ways that we can address our housing supply crisis is by increasing Read more
“Why can’t the government just cap rents?” is a question often asked by those at the sharp end of Britain’s housing crisis. The answer may come as a surprise – they already do (for some tenants). The British government limits rent increases for social housing tenants to CPI plus 1% and intends Read more
Exorbitant rents, intrusive prying, and unaccountable landlords are all symptoms of a larger problem – not enough new housing. Everyone knows that landlords have significant power over their tenants. There are countless cases of landlords withholding deposits, failing to make vital repairs, jacking up rents, and engaging in other domineering Read more
“Housing is the first of the public services… work, family life, health and education are all undermined by crowded houses” so said the Conservative manifesto for the 1951 general election. It was this recognition that led to the original pledge to build 300,000 homes per year, a target unlike our Read more
There are some issues within politics that seem unsolvable. In Britain it seems like anyone who tries to end poverty, hunger, or homelessness will just fall short of their goal. Yet, in Finland there is no such defeatist attitude. Not only has this Scandinavian nation reduced homelessness, but they’ve almost Read more
In these divided and tumultuous times, it seems we can at least agree on something: the objectionable Bolshevism of housing targets. From the soon to be ex-Prime Minister and her Cabinet to the comment pages of the Guardian they are denounced as Stalinist and Leninist without so much as a show trial. With the government and Read more
The few homes we do build today are an expression of the environment in which they are built. This is a political environment: shortly, it is based on what builders are allowed to do and what they are not. Contemporary housing, therefore, registers the successes and failures of our planning system like Read more
This is a joint blog post from Joshan Parmar, chair of the Cambrige University Liberal Association and Sam Hudson, Treasurer of the Cambridge University Labour Club. They argue that progressives should support street votes to help us solve the housing crisis! The housing crisis is stealing opportunity from some of Read more