Housing

That this house notes with concern the ongoing housing crisis; recognises that the Empty Homes Network and Local Government Association has reported a 10% increase in long term empty homes; understands the detrimental impact these empty homes have on this crisis; notes that consenting the development of thousands of green fields will not solve the housing crisis; and instead calls for the Government to ensure that developers build genuinely affordable homes for local people in line with the Liberal Democrat commitment to create 150,000 new social homes a year; calls for second homes to be prevented from sitting empty through higher council taxes and planning controls; and urges the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to support the provision of new homes by providing Local Authorities with the funding and powers required to bring residential housing back into use and invest in a new generation of rent to own homes for young and excluded renters to get into home ownership.