Andy Burnham, former Labour leadership candidate and now the party's candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor, has put forward a number of proposals for the city's Private Rented Sector.
In a blog on the Inside Housing website, Burnham argued that too many people in Greater Manchester are living in fear of eviction and paying rent above what they can afford.
The MP for Leigh says he would introduce a landlord licensing scheme for the area should he be the first elected mayor of Greater Manchester.
Burnham also explains that he would seek additional powers to regulate rent rises and property standards.
The Labour hopeful uses the column to take a swipe at the late Margaret Thatcher, claiming that the mass sell-off of council houses in the 1980s and 1990s is the root cause of the current housing crisis.
Aditionally, Burnham proposes to increase the provision of social and council housing in all of the city's ten boroughs as well as designating a proportion of new homes as being 'rent-to-own'.
The Labour candidate writes that his second priority is to establish a 'community buy-back fund' which will provide 'loan finance to councils to buy out private landlords who fail to maintain properties to the Decent Homes Standard'.
The first Greater Manchester mayoral election is due to take place on May 4 2017 – Burnham's opposing candidates are yet to be named.
You can read Andy Burnham's blog in full on the Inside Housing website here.
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Oh go away Labour. None of you has the sense they were born with.
"too many people in Greater Manchester are .... paying rent above what they can afford."
Now here's are a few shocking thoughts.
Tenants could downsize. After all, I will be required to do the same if I can no longer afford the mortgage on my house.
Councils could stop selling off what little housing stock they've got. Might even build some more. But why increase local authority funding when you can increase MP's salaries instead?
You could force developers to build more affordable housing. Just to be clear, affordable housing is NOT up to £400k.
But all that may be a tad difficult to implement. So let's just keep bashing the PRS. By the time the effects of that policy become visible, some other fool will be mayor and he can take the blame.
Oh Labour and their socialist ideas...yawn.
The government can also give Mayor and councils some funding to buy the LL's properties to house their lovely tenants at an affordable rent and also do all the admin work in looking after this stock for the tenants comfort and enjoyment. Stop selling and start purchasing properties, Burnham. Stop preaching, do something practical and earn your salary in where it counts.
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