Andy Burnham's Pledge to End the Housing Crisis in a Decade

The

housing

crisis

is something we have to get bogged down in terms of details and the truth of the matter is that it gets worse every year. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is pledging to end the

housing

crisis

in his city within a

decade

. The plan will be unveiled in a speech this morning. Well, Andy Burnham joins us now from Manchester. Very good morning to you. Just before we talk about housing, first of all. I know you'll meet in a couple of hours. Fan Murray. she is Martin het's mother, we spoke to her just a couple of minutes ago Martin het, of course, one of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, wants more measures to be taken to protect people in Arenas, for Of course, we have the live cooperative. which is taking a pause right now from the opening because he wants to ensure the safety of fans and artists, which needs to be done to ensure that people are safe there and in other Arenas in the wake of what happened.

Well, Fegan is she is just a wonderful person and I have always supported her in calling for Martin's law and Martin's law is about having a clear set of standards for places when it comes to safety that in This moment does not exist and, consequently, places are not as safe as they should be, this is not about being too draconian or putting places at risk, it is simply about having a sensible set of measures for each place, whatever be the size, so you know Fegan has been campaigning. She has promised that she would get it on the statute book, but she is taking too long and that is why I am fully supporting Fegan with her work and everything she is doing to make Martin's law a reality, Andy , bham.

I'm giving a speech, in a few minutes, actually promising to end the housing crisis within a

decade

to build 10,000 more council homes using brownfield land wherever possible, as part of that you're saying the government should suspend the policy right to buy. You are making a formal request for them to do that, of course, after this weekend's results, there could be a Labor government. Next year, Labor is currently saying it will not suspend the right to buy Council Chamber politics. something that you can persuade them to change their mind about, well I hope so, eh, Ed, I've really thought about this, you know, the housing crisis is something that we have to get stuck into in terms of the details and the truth.

The thing is, it's getting worse every year, so not only are we not solving it, it's actually getting worse not just here in Greater Manchester but across the country and it's because we're losing homes for social rent every year through the right to buy. The last time we had figures, by far we lost net 500 if you look at how many were built and how many were lost to the right to buy, so you know when the housing crisis hits, this is like It's like trying to open a bathroom with the plug unplugged, you know you can't do it, right?

It doesn't work because you keep losing those, those houses, and the position becomes more and more difficult, so these new ones. 10,000 houses that we are going to build a thousand in every big mancher B, we are saying that we have to suspend the right to buy of those houses so that they can be there in the um in the social rental stock uh for decades so that we can start to rebuild it and it's just suspended, it's not the end, you know, I recognize that it has helped a lot of people, but at the end of the day, you know we need to give more people the ability to have a council home in the first place and if the stock is going down constantly, that's not going to happen.

Can I ask you a little more about the prospect of a Labor government? you were a cabinet minister in the financial crisis, the health secretary under the last Labor government, you are now elected with a mandate to tackle the cost of living crisis to improve public services in Manchester K starm Angela Rena Rachel Reeves has never been in government in cabinet I wonder if they are ready for government, do you think they have? I have the experience of the ruling and when they say that they are not going to increase taxes not only for workers, but that they will not increase the corporate tax or the wealth tax, I mean, are they so closed in on taxes that they do not are they going to be able to do it? what you need to get resources in Manchester, well I certainly think they are ready for government, Ed, the people you just mentioned, obviously I've been in politics, uh, a long time, Kia OB as director of public prosecutions, obviously. has had one of the largest offices in this country before and we are really encouraged by the level of commitment we have with them now because this is the difference, Ed, between 1997, which you will remember well when the labor came.

There was a big difference between then and now, back then there was no regional infrastructure, there were no combined authorities like the organization I run, but as we now have 11 Labor Mayes covering the big cities of England with really capable organisations, we can deliver in one way very differently and much more, much faster, you know the plan I was talking about regarding the housing crisis. I'm sure we can do it when we have a Labor government behind us we can really take advantage of it and get it and fix this so you know I think on the tax question Andy difference Andy on the tax question there really isn't a big increase in taxes Labor Powers said no Increase in taxes for workers or the corporation tax or the wealth taxes, I mean, they are making the right judgment by coming down so hard on saying there will be no tax increases.

I mean, how can they deliver well for you? I mean, there will be a real challenge on that front and I think particularly of the NHS that you asked about. about my time as health secretary, you and I know, Ed, that the NHS cannot continue in the position it is in, so I think workers will have to make some important decisions regarding the public. Public finances from my point of view. I look at our 10 tips. There is simply no way councils can continue in the position they are in. You know many are close to the edge, so they won't go. to be difficult decisions there is no around taxes it's not an easy inheritance by any means um but um you know, I think the party will have to make those decisions from my point of view what I would say I think the money can be spent public much more efficiently by working through systems like Greater Manchester, where we can connect the dots, we can break down the silos, we can make public funding go further, and I think that is why I am telling the party today to actually work with us now on delivery plans in all these maral areas so that we know we can make the most of a Labor government and get to work okay Andy Burnham thank you very much Andy. just Andy, real quick, we're playing at Loftus Road on Friday night for sports.

I hope you're fit and you're going to pass me. We're I I I Yes, I'm wondering about you, actually, Mr. Balls. I remember having to do it. doing all the work around you when we were playing up front when you were just standing in the six yard box, so I hope you've been going in and out, I don't know what you're talking about, who does it? Andy Burnham, by the way, I support Everton ah Everton um yeah, okay Andy Burnham, it's good to see you this morning, I don't want to delay you any longer because I know you have an important speech to make, do your fitness work, thank you.