Public good

As the MP for Bolton North East, I’m honoured to speak for northern towns like mine. They are places rich in history, community spirit, and potential – yet all too often, they are overlooked in national debates.

When we speak about the challenges people face and the opportunities that we can create, the solutions must be grounded in what our communities actually need. Housing is the single biggest issue constituents raise with me. Every day, I speak to people who are at risk of homelessness; parents who fear their homes are a health hazard to their children; families who are packed into overcrowded properties; and young people trapped on waiting lists. So many people have put their lives on hold because they see no way forward in this housing shortage. In Bolton, I know from personal experience just how hard it can be to find the right home: one that’s not just affordable, but provides dignity, stability, and opportunity.

This Labour government set ambitious housing targets for a reason. But these targets aren’t enough on their own. We must consider not only how many homes we build, but what we build – and for whom. Simply expanding housebuilding, without changing the basic makeup of our housing stock, will not deliver genuinely affordable homes, at least in the short term. Right now,1.3m households are stuck on waiting lists, and around 170,000 children are growing up in temporary accommodation. We cannot rely on speculative private developments to meet the scale of need in towns like Bolton.

Instead, we must put council housing at the core of our mission. Council homes were once the foundation of secure, affordable living for millions. We need to return to this principle. To do so, we must give local councils the tools, powers, and funding to plan and build homes directly. Rents must be linked to local incomes, and estates should be designed around the needs of families, not profit margins. To this end, the government should reform planning rules so that councils can prioritise social housing. Crucially, they need to be backed up with the skills and capacity to build well and build for the long term.

We also need to unlock smarter funding. Patient capital, strategic investment, and better borrowing rules can help us frontload investment where need is greatest. We must also make right to buy work for communities again by ensuring that every home sold is replaced like-for-like; currently, council housing stock is being drained year after year.

Even council and social homes can’t just be about numbers on a spreadsheet. We need to design communities, not just ‘units’. Families deserve neighbourhoods with pride, play, and purpose – not identikit estates with no personality, no facilities, and above all, nowhere to go. This is why homes and neighbourhoods need to be designed with wellbeing in mind, ensuring that everyone has access to green spaces and daylight. The pandemic showed us how profoundly these things affect our wellbeing.

To realise this vision, we must work with partners that share it. Velux, for example, has demonstrated how access to daylight and fresh air can improve wellbeing, while the Woodland Trust is helping to integrate green space and nature into urban design. Elsewhere, local social enterprises and colleges can create skills pipelines and job opportunities as we build. Let’s plan with them in mind from day one.

Sustainability must also be front and centre. That means homes that are energy-efficient, low-carbon, and cost-effective to run. We must insist on insulation, ventilation, and daylight as standard. Nature-positive designs must be delivered, not just promised, with green corridors linking to parks, schools, and high streets. This is how we tackle the root causes of high energy bills and create healthier, greener communities. I recently met with Watson Homes. Their Creams Mill development in Little Lever is linked with a broader restoration of a stretch of the Manchester-Bolton-Bury canal, which will benefit the whole community. When I asked about the importance of including solar panels and energy-efficiency measures as standard, they said something that has stayed with me: “These houses don’t just need to be affordable to buy or to rent. They need to be affordable to live in.” This is the attitude I want us to take forward as we build the next generation of homes.

Ultimately, this is about fairness. Northern towns like Bolton deserve the same opportunities to thrive as anywhere else in the UK. Success should be measured by shorter waiting lists, lower bills, and healthier, happier neighbourhoods. If we get this right, we won’t just solve a housing crisis – we will unlock potential, for families, for communities, and for the North. It’s time to build not just more homes, but better ones – and to give every town and future generations the chance to succeed.

Image credit: London road via Flickr