Cornish MP presses on with law to ease housing crisis
06-29-2014
By Western Morning News
An MP has chosen to champion a new law to ease Cornwall’s housing crisis after being given a prime opportunity to press ahead with legislation of his choice.
Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, will present Parliament with an Affordable Homes Bill after topping the ballot to decide which backbenchers get to propose a new Private Members’ Bill.
Mr George’s proposed legislation includes measures to cap the number of second home owners. He also wants to extend the Government’s Help to Buy mortgage scheme to support shared equity, shared ownership and mutual housing schemes.
It would also limit the so-called “bedroom tax” crackdown on housing benefit by excluding families living in their homes for more than three years, and where properties have been made more disability-friendly.
The decision comes after he received 2,000 responses following publishing a short-list of three potential pieces of legislation. Mr George said while plans to introduce a Cornish Assembly and improve standards in the NHS missed out, he would continue to champion both issues. He said: “Housing and the lack of affordable homes for local families remains the most pressing problem across West Cornwall and Scilly.
“The intention behind the Bill creates effective new tools to improve the ability of local communities to meet their need for affordable homes for local families.
“That doesn’t mean that places like Cornwall should be a developers’ paradise. Successive Governments have tried that for decades and it’s failed.
“Cornwall has been one of the fastest growing places in the UK – more than doubling its housing stock in the last half century – and yet the housing problems of locals have got worse.”
To put a limit on second homes, he wants to introduce a new “use class” in the planning system for “non-permanent residential use” which would empower local planning authorities to control numbers of second homes.
In Cornwall, the average house price in 2012 was £223,169 – more than 12 times the average median income of £17,664.
Topping the ballot means Mr George will be afforded more time to get his legislation through both Houses. In reality, a Bill stands little chance of becoming law without Government support, which means controversial proposals often fall flat.