We will fix the housing crisis, says Corbyn

LABOUR councils building on average nearly 1,000 more homes than their Tory counterparts are an example of what the party would do to fix the housing crisis if it wins the general election, Jeremy Corbyn will say today.

Mr Corbyn will highlight House of Commons library analysis which shows that Labour councils have built on average 2,577 new homes from 2010 to this year, compared with 1,679 in Tory-led areas.

The Labour-commissioned study showed Liberal Democrat councils performing slightly worse than the Tories, building on average 1,660.

On a visit to Harlow today, Mr Corbyn will repeat his pledge to build a million homes over five years, half of which would be council houses.

He will also highlight official figures that show that housebuilding fell to 140,660 homes in 2016, 2,000 fewer than the previous year, and affordable housebuilding at a 24-year low.

“Britain faces a housing crisis, with runaway rents and unaffordable housing,” the Labour leader will say.

“The system is rigged, with housing treated as an investment for the few, not homes for the many. Seven years of Conservative failure ... shows that they will never fix the housing crisis, which is holding so many people back.

“Labour councils build more homes than Conservative ones.

“The next Labour government will build a million homes, at least half of them council homes, so that we build a Britain for the many, not the few.”