Reposted by Douglas Johnson
At Full Council meeting I received the following question (as Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Cttee).
"When will the Council admit that the cycle lanes are a failure - and stop all further construction of them?"
Watch an extract of my response
![4-panel vertical comic. (1) 100 Years Ago [two people standing next to bicycle with small car nearby] PERSON 1: It’s too dangerous riding a bike with these cars around. I should get a car, too. (2) 50 Years Ago [two people between smaller car and bigger car] PERSON 2 with short hair: Small cars are less safe in collisions with larger vehicles, so I should get a bigger one. (3) Today [two people between big car and even bigger car] PERSON 1: Everyone has huge SUVs now. If I don’t get the biggest one, I’m putting my family at risk. (4) Soon [two people next to large armored car with spiked clubs attached] PERSON 2: If I don’t install more whirling spike clubs, I’ll be destroyed by all the other drivers who...](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreiby6can6k76yzfmv2czxs4pu2l7zie7bqbrpswi7h3ifmiadkuqvu)
![House building slumps to lowest level since 2020 sees job losses and falling confidence in Labour’s plans to fix the housing crisis.
Latest figures[1] from the construction industry show a sustained and deepening decline in housebuilding in the UK as the slowdown reaches depths not seen since early 2020.The lack of confidence in the sector is resulting in lay-offs and recruitment freezes.
Green Party Spokesperson, Cllr Matthew Snedker said; “The housing crisis is one symptom of the cost of living crisis. Houses remain at historically high prices[2], with most people finding house ownership unaffordable, as wages fail to keep pace with house price inflation. It’s no surprise that house building is stalling when people simply can’t afford to save for deposits when they are struggling to get by”
Most worrying is the slowing down of new work in the pipeline. New orders have fallen for eight months in a row. Even big names in the industry are starting to see their order books dwindle.
This long term downward trend has led to construction companies seeing subdued market conditions, heightened business uncertainty and growing risk aversion among clients.
Cllr Snedker continued “The housing crisis is causing very real damage to communities up and down the country. A record 169,050 children are now homeless in temporary accommodation in England[3], a 12% increase on last year. Homelessness has long-lasting consequences for children with families regularly placed out of area, far away from their school, GP and community. The educational attainment, health and development of homeless children plummets when they become homeless.[4]
“This is the perfect time to take advantage of falling borrowing costs by increasing the supply of public housing. Replacing the 1.4 million social homes lost since 1980[5] would reduce people’s housing costs, bring](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ko65ztavyney3o7ekwwave5r/bafkreigolji7ffukyijaa2nlwpbc5swrxgngvocrxokrsbco7ow5hargdq)
![job security to tradespeople and inject much needed confidence into the construction industry.
“The Green Party’s Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter[6] would provide 150,000 new social homes every year through new build and the purchase of ex-council housing stock. It would give local authorities right to buy powers for several categories of property and make sure we keep social homes for local communities in perpetuity.”
ENDS
[1] https://www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/PressRelease/d53e54e883da40448dcb05af5ed1bf26
[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingaffordabilityinenglandandwales/2024
[3] https://england.shelter.org.uk/media/press_release/another_record_number_of_children_homeless_in_temporary_accommodation_after_12_increase_in_a_year
[4] https://sharedhealthfoundation.org.uk/our-work/families-experiencing-homelessness/
[5] https://england.shelter.org.uk/support_us/campaigns/social_housing/loss_of_social_housing#:~:text=We're%20selling%20and%20demolishing,of%20650%20social%20rent%20homes.
[6] https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-manifesto/providing-fairer-greener-homes-for-all/](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ko65ztavyney3o7ekwwave5r/bafkreigo4yxuyktm2d4gdyaa3dykxblfm465vxlinzle2s2dryxmy5n3ai)
