Fixing the housing crisis will need policies “rooted in the values of collectivism and social solidarity”, Steve Warwick told the TUC congress today.
Speaking to delegates in the housing debate, he added: “These are our values, the values of the trade union movement – and these are the values that underpin the call in this motion for a massive increase in social house building.”
He said a recent UNISON survey showed that nearly half the union’s members had grown-up children living with them “because they can’t afford to move out.
“Young people who want to set up home and start families are increasingly parked in the private rented sector, where conditions are worse, tenancies more insecure and where rents are rising faster than wages for many.
“The underlying causes of this situation speak for themselves every time Cameron, Clegg or the coalition housing minister get up to respond to dreadful house building figures with another ineffectual initiative.
“They are simply not taking responsibility for the housing crisis and the continued failure to ensure that the supply of affordable homes keeps up with demand.”
‘This has to be a wake-up call’ – UNISON on Housing Voice report