Tuesday, 13th February 2007

Ruth Kelly says building more homes and enabling more tenants to build up a stake in their homes can help to brige the housing divide, in the latest Fabian 'Next Decade' lecture.

A 'right to own' could help to bridge the gap for those struggling to get onto the housing ladder, Ruth Kelly told the Fabian Society in a Next Decade lecture setting out the future challenges for housing policy.

Enabling social housing tenants to buy stakes from 10% of the value of their homes was one of the ideas floated by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. She identified building more homes in sustainable communities; 'greener homes' to help to tackle climate change, bridging the gap for those who struggle to get onto the housing ladder, and making social housing more responsive to individual needs as the central challenges for housing policy over the next decade.

Kelly said that the right to buy had 'tapped into the British psyche', but argued that a broader right to own was needed if more tenants were to have the chance to build up assets.

She criticised the failure to reinvest enough in new social housing under the right to buy from the 1980s, arguing that 'more homes' was essential to make housing more affordable.

'Getting a first foot on the housing ladder is harder than ever today. It is clear that building more homes, in well-planned communities, will be vital to help first-time buyers', she said.

Ruth Kelly is Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Her Fabian Next Decade lecture was held on 13th February 2007 at One Great George Street, Westminster. The Fabian Society is grateful to Home Group for their support of this event.

Full text of speech

Event report