To avoid another pandemic, building more social housing is a top priority

The housing crisis has been thrown into sharp relief by coronavirus, highlighting the inequities in a system that has been broken for years. Labour MP Stephen Timms writes

(Getty)

When the lockdown started, the government told us to “stay home”. “Home” has become supremely important. It should always represent relaxation, comfort and security. Now, it also represents refuge from danger. But, for so many people, “home” is far from this.

Those of us with happy, safe, spacious homes are finding lockdown hard. But what if you’re living as a family of six in a one-bedroom flat? What if you’re living in temporary accommodation, sharing a kitchen with ten other families, unable to self-isolate? What if your accommodation has chronic mould which makes it hard for your child to breathe?

The housing crisis has been thrown into sharp relief by coronavirus, highlighting the inequities in a system that has been broken for years. One quarter of privately rented homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard. A million people are on council house waiting lists. A total of 127,370 children are living in temporary accommodation. For households in poverty in London, housing costs amount to an average of 56 per cent of their net income.