division_name: Housing: Long-Term Plan
motion: <p class="indent" pid="c1498.1/2" pwmotiontext="yes">That this House believes everyone deserves a decent, affordable home to live in; regrets that many people are priced out of the communities in which they grew up due to rising house prices and rents; acknowledges the achievements of the Coalition Government in implementing Help to Buy, bringing empty homes back into use and increasing support for self-build; condemns the present Government&#8217;s housing reforms which will lead to fewer new affordable homes for rent and breakdown in communities by selling off affordable homes with no guarantee of replacement; further notes their devastating impact on supported housing of the most vulnerable including those with learning disabilities; recognises the need for a huge increase in the supply of homes due to decades of under-delivery by successive governments; notes that an increase in apprenticeships and other skills training within the construction industry is required to meet that need; further notes the particular challenges of affordable housing in rural areas; regrets that the average cost of a home in London is now over &#163;500,000; endorses the proposal of London Mayoral candidate, Caroline Pidgeon, to convert the Olympic precept into a funding stream that would enable 200,000 new homes to be built in London; acknowledges the benefits of building sustainable homes; and calls on the Government to set out a long-term housing plan to meet the housing needs of future generations which includes lifting the borrowing cap for councils and at least ten new garden cities.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1506.0/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Housing is the biggest single issue that politicians don&#8217;t talk about.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1521.0/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;decent, affordable home to live in&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1521.0/10" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;we can no longer afford to see badly needed homes lost to the social sector&#8230;That is why I am today announcing the final stage of the abolition of the Right to Buy&#8212;a decision that will safeguard Scotland&#8217;s social housing stock for the benefit of citizens today and for our future generations.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1524.2/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I was encouraged by the local council to apply for the CSBA Scheme, I rang them and said; &#8216;I am disabled, unemployed, on benefits and I know nothing of building.&#8217; They said; &#8216;You fit all the criteria!&#8217; I have never looked back.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1524.2/7" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;It is a dangerous thing to underestimate human potential and the energy which can be generated when people are given the opportunity to help themselves.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1526.0/10" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;All it would take to deal with the acute housing crisis in rural areas is a handful of high quality, affordable new homes in our villages or market towns.&#8221;</p>