It’s quite simple. We need to build more social housing (this is still sometimes known as council housing). We need to shift the balance from excessive market housing to more genuinely affordable properties in Waverley.

Why is this something we feel passionate about? 

There are many reasons, but a key one is because people in our key services often can't afford to live in the area or struggle to do so. We all rely on these workers (many of us are these workers) and we need to make sure they can afford to live and work in the area. 

Housing labelled ‘affordable’ often isn’t, so this isn't a solution to our problem. 

However, on the 2nd May YOU can change that.

In Waverley the barrier to building social housing, usually, is land availability. If we were elected, we would set up a group at the council specifically tasked to seek out potential opportunities for investment in social housing that the council would then build directly. Once we've done this, we can get on with actually building it.

We know that the amount of people on the local housing register (people that are waiting for social housing) actually isn't a true representation of the number of people that really need it and we also know that nowhere near enough are being built to meet that demand. If the council is to invest it should invest locally and in something both worthwhile to our residents and to our wider economy.

We also want to ensure that there is FAR greater public consultation over what houses are built and where – and we would seek increase transparency and engagement over what is built and where.

The Liberal Democrats also commit to re-opening the Local Plan at the earliest lawful opportunity to review the housing number requirements against the current figures (which would bring the housing number down) and to increase the level of affordable housing requirements from 30% to 40% in support of our social housing policy.

If you vote for us on 2nd May, you will be voting for a group that will challenge the current council policy on social housing and fight for more to be built and do so in a way that involves and engages the public whom it impacts.

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