Steve Yemm column: Mansfield families deserve good homes they can afford

It is the foundation on which families build their lives, somewhere children feel secure, parents put down roots and older people live with dignity.

It gives families confidence for tomorrow and helps communities remain strong.

Yet too many Mansfield families are denied that security.

There are almost 5,000 families stuck on waiting lists, living in temporary or insecure accommodation, or struggling to find a suitable home in the community where they grew up.

The scale of local demand is impossible to ignore.

Figures published by Mansfield Council last year showed more than 4,700 households waiting for a council home.

The council manages just over 6,300 properties, but only around 225 become available in an average year.

One two-bedroom flat attracted 584 bids.

Behind every number is a person or family – perhaps a young couple unable to settle near their parents, children sharing an overcrowded room, or somebody forced away from the support network they depend on.

That is why Labour’s new Social and Affordable Homes Programme matters.

The Government is committing £39bn over 10 years.

That’s the biggest investment of its kind, and the first major wave will provide £9.58bn to 33 councils, housing associations and other providers outside London.

That initial funding is expected to deliver 73,600 new social and affordable homes.

Nearly two-thirds are expected to be for social rent, the most affordable rented tenure.

This is exactly where the emphasis should be: homes that working families and people on modest incomes can genuinely afford, not properties that exist only on a developer’s spreadsheet.

The programme is also designed to put councils back at the heart of housebuilding.

Councils understand local demand and are best placed to identify suitable sites.

They will receive support to strengthen their housebuilding capacity, while being able to retain and reinvest all receipts from right to buy sales.

This first allocation is only the beginning.

More than £16bn remains to be allocated outside London, with the Government intending to prioritise social rent and council housebuilding.

I want Mansfield to secure its fair share.

That means making a strong case, identifying deliverable sites and ensuring Mansfield is ready for every funding opportunity.

I will work with the council, housing providers, ministers and Homes England to press our area’s case.

Our housing need must be heard clearly in Whitehall.

Nationally, almost 180,000 children are growing up without a permanent home.

That should trouble every one of us.

Moving between temporary addresses can disrupt education, friendships and family life.

Giving a child a secure home is not simply housing policy; it is an investment in their health, confidence and future.

We also need the right homes in the right places, supported by schools, GP services, transport and other infrastructure.

Development should strengthen communities and give local people a stake in their neighbourhood.

For me, the test is straightforward – will this help Mansfield families build secure lives, or allow young people to remain close to parents and grandparents or give more children a permanent place to call home?

Mansfield has waited long enough for housing supply to catch up with need.

This programme gives us an opportunity to change that and I will fight to ensure we seize it together.

Homes for Mansfield people must come first.