Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to buy 8,000 homes ‘immediately’ to help eradicate the current homelessness issue
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, Corbyn promised a Labour government would “immediately purchase 8,000 properties across the country to give immediate housing to those people that are currently homeless.”
The scheme would see housing associations move those without a home to the top of the waiting list. In exchange they would be given the cash to build a replacement home.
Corbyn also vowed to hand power back to local councils to ‘take over’ luxury flats that are deliberately left vacant.
Marr asked Corbyn if the owners of such homes could be forced to relinquish the property to house a homeless person. Corbyn replied: “We would give local authorities the power to take over deliberately kept vacant properties.
“In the middle of an area where there is a lot of housing stress… you get some luxury, glossy, glistening, block built, sold off-plan to long distant overseas investors who may buy and sell it before it’s even built.
“Well, hang on, let’s look at the social priorities here.
“Many people are homeless, many people are living in overcrowded accommodation, many middle class families’ children cannot leave home because they cannot raise the deposit for a private rented flat.”
Labour pledged to end homelessness within its first term of office.
