ELECTION 2015: Where the parties in your community stand over housing

The Daily Echo asked candiates from all the major parties standing across Hampshire to outline where their policies lie.

HOMES: Many say the UK is currently enduring a housing crisis. What is your party’s approach to building more homes for the future?

Sally May, Green Party, New Forest East: “We would resume direct investment in council and other social housing and allow local authorities to use receipts from existing sales to fund new affordable accommodation.

“We would build 500,000 homes by 2020 and bring back into use one million existing empty properties.”

Imogen Shepherd Dubey, Liberal Democrat, New Forest West: “The Liberal Democrats are setting goals to build 300,000 new houses per year. This plan would include ten new garden cities that will be in areas where we need the housing the most.

“These cities would be built with green spaces, suitable transport links and employment opportunities. We would not want to build on greenbelt land, built make better use of brownfield sites and bring more empty homes back into use.”

Martin Lyon, UKIP, Winchester: “UKIP would invest in building houses on brownfield sites, allow local authorities to invest in building or owning council houses – not solely relying on the private sector – and stop building thousands of houses on greenfield sites that we don’t actually need: if we cut immigration back then we will not need them.

“The ‘organic’ population is only growing at between four to seven per cent. House building requirement is predicted at over four times this figure, purely based on historic immigration figures.

“We would also reduce VAT on refurbishment of existing property to say five per cent – currently it is the full amount of 20 per cent with zero VAT on new build – and ensure long-term employment is a driver for house building.”

Caroline Nokes, Conservative, Romsey and Southampton North: “House building is currently at its highest level since 2007 and the prime focus has been on developing brownfield sites.

“The Starter Homes scheme is part of the Conservatives’ plan to get Britain building again and help people get on in life. We want to build 200,000 homes for first-time buyers under 40 giving them the opportunity to buy a new home at 20 per cent below the normal price.

“This scheme will benefit local people and allow them to buy their own homes at an affordable price.

“But an important part of this are the new Neighbourhood Plans, which we introduced, helping local people to be part of the process.”

Mark Latham, Labour, Eastleigh: “This week Labour committed to an extra £5 billion housing fund to kickstart home building in the next Parliament – contributing 125,000 homes to Labour’s target of 200,000 homes a year by 2020.

“The “Future Homes Investment Fund” will be financed by the new “First Time Buyer ISA” announced in last month’s Budget, and requires no new additional borrowing or spending.

“We will ensure that any bank or building society which offers these ISAs will have to invest it in building houses.

“If they put this money into the Future Homes Fund savers will still be guaranteed by a Labour Government the same return on their investment and be able to withdraw their money at any time.”

BUYERS: What will your party do to help first-time buyers be able to afford a property?

Sally May: “By following a programme of affordable housing and ensuring that a house is bought, primarily, as a home and not as an ‘investment’ this would greatly assist first-time buyers.”

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey: “The Liberal Democrats plan to implement a new “Rent to Own” scheme where first-time buyers would not require a deposit, but would make monthly payments, equivalent to rent, to build up a share in their home.

“After 30 years, the occupants would gain full ownership of their property. Occupants could also cash out of the scheme at any time taking their money paid in as a deposit that they can use on the open market.”

Martin Lyon: “Affordable rent schemes whereby Government should help them to save for deposits by offering affordable council house places.

“At the moment house prices are artificially inflated – even builders cannot sell because the banks and building societies will not lend the amounts required for deposits etc.

“Employment prospects are key to first-time buyers obtaining the finance required therefore zero hours contracts should be abolished and we would ensure reduced levels of interest rates for first time buyers - ‘mortgage interest’ holidays.

“There should be a note of caution as some first-time buyers will never be able to afford to buy no matter what policies are used.”

Caroline Nokes: “In 2014, More than 300,000 people took their first step on the property ladder and Government backed Help to Buy, helped over 73,000 first-time buyers to own their own home.

“The Conservatives plan to expand this scheme as well as introducing the new Help to Buy ISA scheme, which allows you to save up to £200 every month and the Government will add another £50 to help.

“These schemes will help those who work hard and save to create a better future for their families.”

Mark Latham: “First-time buyers will have priority on 50per cent of new homes in housing growth areas – this is a huge step in solving the crisis.

“It is very likely that South Hampshire will be designated a housing growth area for obvious reasons.”

RENT: What would your party do to make sure rent is affordable for residents?

Sally May: “Renting is, more often than not, as expensive as paying a mortgage and the Green Party would initiate a limit on the amount of rent a landlord could charge in order to free tenants from exploitation.

“We would also instate a Living Rent Commission to decide on the best way to bring fair rents into line with incomes.”

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey: “The Liberal Democrats want to encourage new multi-year tenancy agreements with an agreed inflation-linked annual rent increase built in to the contract.

“This would help to prevent radical rent increases.”

Martin Lyon: “We would regulate private landlords more efficiently through local authorities; provide local authority (subsidised) council houses at truly affordable rates – the private sector will never be able or want to do this – and introduce possible means testing for certain residents.”

Caroline Nokes: “The Government wants to empower tenants by protecting their rights more strongly, whilst avoiding unnecessary red tape which would force up rents and reduce choice.

“To achieve this it has worked alongside the industry to develop and publish a code of practice for privately rented residential property management, which makes clear the legal requirements of landlords and letting agents alike. In addition to these measures, landlords and tenants will be given access to an approved redress scheme and the Model Tenancy Agreement will provide extra security and stability for families.

“We will also tighten up the Consumer Rights Bill will also ensure full transparency ending hidden fees which rip off many people.

“The £1 billion Build to Rent fund will deliver up to 10,000 new homes for private rent which, alongside our housing guarantee schemes, will attract long-term investors into the market to increase choice, quality and stability for renters.”

Mark Latham: “A key policy for Generation Rent is fairer, more secure tenancies. We will guarantee three-year tenancies with a ceiling on excessive rent rises.

“You will still be able to end the tenancy but the tenant would be more secure, children won’t have the threat of moving to a new area or school, families will have more stability.

“We will also ban rip-off letting agent fees for tenants. Agents should be paid by one side only.”

POLICIES: What are your party’s key housing policies?

Sally May: “The basis for all the Green Party’s key housing policies is affordability and sustainability.

“For council housing we would end the right to buy and introduce a right to rent. We would also reform the housing benefit system to prevent homelessness through late payment of rent. All new properties would have to be built to a high environmental standard.”

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey: “For decades, successive Conservative and Labour Governments have not built enough homes. This lack of building has left us with a crippling under-supply and an industry that is only producing roughly half of the houses we need “This lack of homes forces prices and rents higher and higher leaving thousands of people, especially young people, with no hope of buying their first property.

“Key polices going forward include: building 300,000 homes a year to make up for the shortfall; building new garden cities; introducing a ‘Rent to Own’ scheme; and encouraging new multi-tenancy agreements with inflation linked rent increases.”

Martin Lyon: “Our key policies are local housing for local people; reform the leasehold sector, especially the lease extension process; limit freeholders’ rights of forfeiture whilst empowering long-term leaseholders in blocks of twenty units or more to convert their tenure to commonhold by simple majority.

“We would build one million homes on brownfield sites by 2025 and for renters, UKIP wants more landlords to rent to tenants on benefits and to offer longer (three to ten-year) tenancies. Properties left empty for five or more years would pay double council tax.”

Caroline Nokes: “The Conservatives are strong supporters of localism and believe that housing policy must be led by local people for local needs.

“I have long argued in favour of more Green Belt in Hampshire, where there is virtually none. We need to retain gaps between settlements and make sure our countryside is protected from inappropriate development.

“Planning is one of the issues I raise most often in Parliament, and I know from my experience as a local councillor in Test Valley how hard it is to get the balance right between providing enough housing yet at the same time preventing inappropriate and speculative development.”

Mark Latham: “As Ed Miliband said in Warrington on Saturday: ‘We will get at least 200,000 homes a year built by the end of the Parliament’.

“We won’t let those large developers just hoard land, waiting for it to go up in value when it could be used to build homes. We’ll say: either you use the land or you lose the land. We will say to small developers and construction companies that we will help them to build homes again in our country.

“We will build a new generation of towns, garden cities and suburbs creating over half a million new homes.”