Simon Jenkins plays down the acuteness of the housing crisis (Look at society’s forgotten: there’s the real housing crisis, 9 February), saying there have been “the same price rises” in Australia and America. But in the US the median house price is “only” 5.7 times median household disposable income; in England that ratio is 8.2. A strictly comparable figure for Australia is not available, but the ratio of median house price to median gross household income is 5.6.
Jenkins also says National Audit Office figures show that “After the down payment … property has never been so affordable this century”. But while the NAO report says “Housing has become more affordable for existing homeowners”, it also says “housing has become less affordable for first-time buyers”, and “Social housing rents have been increasing faster than earnings since 2001-2”.
The steady rise in real house prices has led to the absurd situation in which, as the Resolution Foundation has shown, disposable income after housing costs is now higher for the median pensioner household than for the median working-age household. As Jim Edwards of Business Insider wrote recently, there are now two distinct classes in Britain: those who own property and those who are getting poorer.
But Jenkins is right that increasing supply will do little to change the situation, and he is right to point to the low density of London and many other cities. What is needed is to shift the burden of taxation away from work (national insurance and lower bands of income tax) and towards property. All governments talk about “hard-working families” while continuing to subject them to taxes from which the unearned windfall gains of property owners are largely exempted.
Charles Young
Oxford
• Many criticisms have been voiced about the government’s housing white paper, which I would mostly share. Unquestionably a housing market crisis exists, with many housing needs unmet. This is a long-term problem, but it has dramatically worsened with the cutbacks in funding for affordable housing and urban regeneration after 2010. Since the 1960s governments of all political persuasions were committed to regenerating older housing neighbourhoods, but this has now virtually ceased.
Yet the white paper makes scant reference to the challenges facing the older housing neighbourhoods of the north and Midlands. Postindustrial peripheral towns such as those in Lancashire have high concentrations of deprived households living in often rundown terrace-housing neighbourhoods. Lancashire alone has over 10,000 long-term empty houses. Many lessons can be learned from what has happened over the last 50 years. Previously local authorities had a responsibility to develop comprehensive housing strategies covering a range of needs. Potential solutions are immensely complex, but must go way beyond new building. A national comprehensive review of housing and urban regeneration is desperately needed. New-build provision and planning policies are key elements, but it has to extend to how the country meets the challenges of its older housing stock and neighbourhoods, both in the main and smaller urban areas. It will require a return to major public investment into how the nation provides decent homes and sustainable neighbourhoods.
Nick Moule
PhD researcher, University of Manchester
• We write in solidarity with up to 15,000 households and 508 businesses who live and work on council land in the London borough of Haringey. The cabinet of the council meets on 14 February to decide whether to enter into a 50/50 partnership with a private developer, handing over £2bn of council assets – involving unprecedented political and financial risks. This monstrous “Haringey development vehicle” will demolish and uproot many council homes and workplaces.
Currently, 100% of council homes are affordable. Council leaders are promising that at least 40% of the rebuilt and extra homes will be affordable, leaving the obvious conclusion that most will not be. Therefore communities will be destroyed and the council will be struggling to house families and individuals in and outside the borough in a housing market short of homes.
The private developer will apply continual pressure to increase the number of homes that can be sold at market prices to increase profitability. The council wants to “smarten up” the council estates next to the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Yet again the rich and powerful are conspiring to enclose public land and yet again it would be to the detriment of most of those who now live and work there.
Dave Morris Haringey Federation of Residents Associations
Martin Ball Our Tottenham
Gordon Peters Haringey Green Party
Doug Thorpe Haringey Left Unity
Carol Wilcox Secretary, Labour Land Campaign
Elaine Graham-Leigh Chair, North London People’s Assembly Against Austerity
Bob Ellard Disabled People Against Cuts,
Islington Haringey GMB Trade Union
Paul Burnham Secretary, Haringey Defend Council Housing
Zenith Motor Cycles Ltd
Haringey Unite community branch
Paul Kershaw Chair, Unite LE1111 Housing workers
Chris Roche RIBA 11.04 Architects
Rev Peter Challen Christian Council for Monetary Justice
Jenny Sutton Branch secretary, CONEL UCU
Simon Hester Chair, Haringey TUC
Dr Gail Bradbrook Compassionate Revolution
John Lipetz Camden KONP
Chris Jones Founder, BTBATB
Keith Flett Secretary, Haringey TUC
Red Army Motorcycle Riding Club
Kim Sparrow Single Mothers’ Self-Defence
Claire Glasman and Ariane Sacco WinVisible (women with visible and invisible disabilities)
Rev Paul Nicolson Taxpayers Against Poverty
And more than 1,100 individual signatories, including:
Abby Sullivan
Abdu Rawat
Adam Climie
Adam Hutt
Adam Mitchinson
Adele Winston
Alena Ivanova
Alex Chapman
Alex McRae
Alexander Costello
Alice Cescatti
Amanda Steele
Anastasia Burke
Andrew Waston
Andy Cavendish
Andy Ross
Andy Wooding
Aneta Okroj
Angela McGranaghan
Angus Dingwall
Ann Williams
Anna Reut
Anna Zimmerman
Annika Lowgren
Antonia Kemp
Arabi forrester
Arvind Jadwa
Ash Morris
Aude Landrieu
Barbara Ulargiu
Barry Holloway
Beatriz Rodriguez de Guzman
Ben Henshall
Ben Swan
Benedikt Schueller
Benjamin Schulz
Betty Ray
Bevin Burke
Bob Kitchen
Bruno Saski
C Williams
C Young
Calum Day
Carina Campos
Carlos Molina
Carmel Reynolds-Knowles
Carol Daglish
Caroline Clarke
Caroline Holding
Carolyn Martin
Carolyn Payne
Carolyn Ryan
Catherine Dockrell
Charlotte Cox
Charlotte Jordan
Charlotte Law
Charlotte Warawi
Cheryl Robinson
Cheryl Sharp
Chiz Harward
Chris Brown
Christina Petridou
Claire Harris
Claire Ong
Clara Creze
Colin Campbell
D Caithness
Dale Lewis
Damian Brown
Damien Rembert
Daniel southey
Dave Burn
Dave Cohen
Dave Wetzel
David Chapman
David Gray
David Hooke
David Perry
David Sexton
David Springer
David White
Dawid Chodasewicz
Deanna Shea
Deborah eagle
Debs Dade
Denise Robinson
Denise Smith
Derek Gibbs
Douglas Wheeler
Dr Claire Colomb Researcher in planning
Dr Ron Roberts
Drew Munro
Dusiowek de Black
Efa Thomas
Eiva Nelson
Elaine Ridealgh-Bradshaw
Elana McLaughlin
Eleanor Buffam
Elisavet Tapini
Ella Stormark
Ellie Mathews
Elliot Bobin
Elliot Bobin
Elliot Bobin
Emil Smith
Emily Hames
Emma Dawson
Emma Keast
Eva Bayford
Evelyn Grace
Ewa Badurek
Fabio Couto
Faridah Webster
Fiona Murphy
Gabi Norland
Gail Thibert
Gayle Whitby
Gill Wing
Gina Barker
Grace Banks
H Lamont
Haringey Unison
Heather Dyer
Heather Wetzel
Helen Bensted-Smith
Helin Kaya
Hernan Soldini
Ian Stone
J Parmessur
Jackie Granados
Jacob Grub
Jacqueline Klemes
Jacqui Jameson
Jaione Azkarate
James Brady
James Sharrock
Jan Daniels
Jane Calvert
Jane Eades
Janet Gibbon
Jaroslaw Myszk-Zwolak
Javier Delgadi
Jenny Gallagher
Jenny Mules
Jenny Rosbotto
Jenny Schmidt
Jessica-lyn Forrester
Jez Kemp
Jill Hawkins
Jim Brown
Joana Matos Fernandes
Joe Carlo
Joe Corley
Joe Gamble
John Dolan
John Lipetz
John Lyons
John Marshall
John Whitehouse
John Youens
Jon Stone
Jonathan Lester
Joss Kinch
Judith Fessler
Judy Hallgarten
Julia Daniel
Julia Ryan
Julie Nicaisse
Karen Kiil
Kate Byrne
Kate Byrne
Kath Lea
Kathryn Byrne
Katie Thomas
Kay Norman
Keary Scanlon
Kevin Paton
Kevin Peberdy
Kevin Wright
Kezia Christensen
Kuba Zguba
Kyle Potter
Larry O’Mahony
Laurie Clancy
Lawrence Flinn
Lee Humphries
Lee Parsfield
Lesley haywood
Liam Dunsby
Lila Harmo
Lillian Wilkie
Linda Hamilton
Lisa Bagley
Lisa O’Hagan
Lisa Ullrich
Liz Fewings
Louis Joon
Louisa Cath
Louise Beer
Louise O’Hare
Louise Stevens
Lukasz Hawrylik
M Barnard
M Kurtz
M Pelfrey
Maisie Carter
Maite Furlong
Mandy Burns
Marc Lawrence
Marcia Scott
Maria Fledou
Marianne Bajard
Marianne Pink
Marie Lambert
Marissa Hebron
Mark Russell
Mark Taylor
Marta Jachimowicz
Martin Brown
Martin LeSanto-Smith
Martin Lyons
Mary L Ford
Mary Stuart
Maryse Weston Clarke
Matt Michael
Matt Russell
Matt Wheeler
Matthew Michael
Matthew SM Gaffen
Matthew Tye
Matty Owen
Maxime Bortz
Maxine Miller
May Mansour
Megan Stewart
Mel Doumbos
Melissa Halpern
Michael Howe
Michael Payne
Michael Rix
Michael Smithers
MIchelle Duxbury
Mick Webster
Miguel Garcia
Mike Neufeld
Miki Porzio
Milan Macurak
Milton Flores
Miranda Pole
MJ Yetts
Moya Schouten
Murtaza Manek
N Curtis
Natalia Victor
Natasha Cassar
Nathan Beardsworth
Nicholas Storey
Nick Feldman
Nick Gatzikis
Nick Ramones
Nicki Gilbert
Noel Thrussell
Nora Mehenni
Oliver Bosch
Olivia Hill
Paris Caballa
Pat Turnbull
Paul Phillips
Paul Regan
Paul Sturdy
Paul Widdis
Paul Young
Paula Garsden
Paula Stammers
Penelope Whitehouse
Penne Hutton
Peter Cowan
Peter Davis
Phil Legg
Phill Bodman
Pilgrim Tucker
Pippa Matthews
Priya Rane
Przemyslaw Radwan
Rafal Panasiuk
Rebecca Binns
Rhiannon Firth
Richard Brunner
Richard Parkinson
Richard Solly
Rick Matthews
Rob Baker
Rob Blakemore
Rob lovelock
Robert Ellis
Robert Lindsey
Roc Macias
Roddy Mattinson
Ron Eve
Ros Warmington
Rosabell Laurenti Sellers
Rowena Gordon
Roy Wenborne
S Meier
Sadika Ahmad
Sam Morgan-Hutchings
Sandra Eriemo
Sandrine Chelmy
Saran Feldman
Sean Cregan
Sean Fox Haringey Unison joint branch secretary
Sharron Spice
Sheila Scott
Shelley Mayne
Shiri Shalmy
Simon Barnett
Simon Hinds
Simon Lee
Sonny Feetham
Stan Adamec
Stella Bestom
Steph Hynes
Stephan Kerr
Stephen Cotton
Stephen Ennis
Stephen Keys
Steven Robertson
Stevie Lawrence
Sue Powis
Susan Glanville
Susan Monks
Suzan Ruchards
Syed Bukhari
Tali Clarke
Tanya Kenny
Tara Curtis
Tara Rehl
Tarik Hyatt Khan
Teral Bowen
Terry Barry
Tessa Redig de Campos
Tim Drage
Tim Frost
Tom Branwell
Tom Crossley
Tom Hunt
Tom Monks
Tomasz Zarow
Tommas Graves
Tommy Brooks
Tommy Preston
Tony Ash
Tracie Anderson
Trevor Thomas
Tristram Wyatt
Vaughan West GMB organiser for Haringey
Veena Sharma
Victoria Berryman
Victoria Sherwin
Vincent Mahon
Virginia Martin Torrejon
Virginia Pollard
Wendy Essen
Wendy Skorupa
Weronika Lesniak
Will Howlett
William Matthews
Yasuyo Hosoi
Zulfqar Ali
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