VII. The market in land does not work in the public interest, with

large builders getting unearned rewards for hoarding land and

restricting supply with house prices forced upwards thus making

homes unaffordable for most first-time buyers, and the present

system of viability assessments for affordable housing being

too weighted in favour of the developer leading to inflated land

prices at the expense of infrastructure, affordable housing, and

design quality.

VIII. One and a half million council homes have been sold under the

Right to Buy with only one replacement for every five sold.

Conference believes that:

a) Government housing policies have increased social, financial and

inter-generational inequalities.

b) There are still too many long-term empty homes which are seen

as financial investments rather than places to live.

c) Local government can play a critical role in achieving the number

of homes required by directing the use of publicly owned land

before disposal for affordable and social housing and by being

able to borrow both to buy land for housing and to build it.

d) In the private rented sector there should be:

i) A system of mandatory licensing with a publicly available

database of rogue landlords.

ii) Promotion of longer private tenancies with inflation or wagelinked rents.

iii) A right to buy (or first refusal) for sitting tenants when a

landlord sells.

iv) A cap on upfront tenant deposits.

v) A ban letting agents' fees.

e) Green space in towns and urban areas and green field between

towns are vital components of our quality of life and provide

essential protection for neighbourhoods against urban sprawl.

f) Poor quality or disused land (for example, former petrol stations

and warehouses) defined as green belt may be suitable for

development as part of local or neighbourhood planning.

Monday 17 September

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