'A unifying positive vision'

Unite delegate David Oladele moved a motion on Monday (September 14) Britain’s housing crisis, calling it a national emergency.

He said, “I have 22 years’ experience supporting  single homeless men and some of them have had to stay in a single room for over 10 years, yet there is no accommodation available for them from local government.

“My union has long argued that investing in housing is a win-win for all of us.”

He continued, “In Unite we have construction workers, including those who historically had been directly employed by local authorities, who want to see their industry grow by providing the social homes our local communities desperately need.

“We have those working in housing associations, campaign and advice organisations and local authorities. In their jobs they help those who are made homeless, those who suffer damp and mould at the hands of poorly regulated private landlords or are wrongly evicted.

“And at the same time we hear across our membership, especially our young members, how so many are struggling with their housing and the impact it has on their lives.”

He said he was sure that that was “something common across all of our unions and us here today.

“Housing is a prime example of how ‘the market’ left to its own devices does absolutely not deliver for the common good. It’s wrong that during times of a housing crisis decades in the making construction as an industry has also experienced periods of contraction.

“Government after government have been urged to use housing as the driver it can be to create economic growth that we all truly share in.”

He continued, “We would all benefit from the improvements in our homes and be able to welcome those who could put down roots and be part of our local communities rather than moving from insecure tenancy to insecure tenancy.

“Building and improving homes in every local community also means the creation of proper apprenticeships that lead to decent work, pay and conditions in every local community.”

David concluded his speech by saying, “This is a unifying positive vision and example of how public investment can deliver, with the maximum benefit wrung out of every single pound spent to benefit all of us.

“If this government is really going to start afresh, and turn its back on 40 years of a failure of economic policy, finally tackling the housing crisis in the way it demands – not with more half-baked market mechanisms, is a good place to start.”

The motion was carried.

By Amanda Campbell

Pics by Mark Thomas