Housing - Thangam Debbonaire

Houses in Bristol

The UK currently faces a housing crisis. Since 2010 we’ve seen a steep drop in investment for new affordable homes; billions of pounds cut from housing benefit; inaction on short-term lets; soaring rents in the private rented sector; and significant cuts to funding for homelessness services.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has shown us how important it is for everyone to have the right to a decent home. As the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing I am leading on this for the Labour Party.

On this page you will find my work in Parliament and in Bristol to campaign for meaningful action to tackle housing inequality, end homelessness and ensure that everyone has a place to call home.

My latest work on this issue

The Building Safety Bill: Another broken promise for thousands living in dangerous flats

I have been following the debate around dangerous cladding and building safety for some time, both as a constituency MP with many people in Bristol West affected, and from April 2020 until a few months ago when I was leading for Labour on this national scandal as Shadow Housing Secretary.…

Dangerous cladding: Labour pushes for Tories to keep their promises

It is now more than four years since the Grenfell Tower disaster. Over those four years, the government has procrastinated, dodged responsibility and changed direction. As a result, the cladding crisis has ballooned to affect a huge number of people. This week Labour is once again bringing this matter to a parliamentary debate. Labour MPs will be pushing…

Where is the Prime Minister’s plan for social care?

Where is the Prime Minister’s plan for social care? Dementia sufferers, their carers and families are desperate after an appalling year. I put this to the Leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg. In response to my question, the promised the plan would come this year. I’ll hold him to this.…

Dangerous cladding: After the Fire Safety Bill, where do we go from here?

I am bitterly disappointed that the Government has passed the Fire Safety Bill with no protection for leaseholders, who are facing ruinous bills to fix dangerous cladding. But please be assured: this fight is not over. For the last four years, Labour has been urging the Government to move further…

Homes still being built with dangerous cladding, four years after Grenfell

This is incredible. It has emerged that homes are still being built with flammable insulation, at the same time as leaseholders are being forced to pay to have it removed. Almost four years after the Grenfell Tower disaster, the government has learnt nothing. Today in Parliament, my colleagues and I…

Rough sleepers should be helped, not punished

The next Labour Government will repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824, which criminalises rough sleeping, as I explained in a debate in Parliament yesterday. There are often genuine reasons why rough sleepers cannot use any shelter that is available and we must support them. Over the last ten years, wages have…

Housing is in crisis – so why does the budget ignore it?

Here’s my test for the budget announced on Wednesday – does it respond to the most urgent problems in housing right now? In my view, it completely fails to address – or even acknowledge – the most urgent housing issues facing this country. It makes the housing affordability crisis worse…

Why should building safety force some leaseholders into debt?

There are still thousands of buildings wrapped in dangerous cladding in Bristol, and across the UK. The government’s response to this crisis has so far been appalling. If your building has these fire risks and is below 18m tall, you will be forced into debt for a problem you did…

Dangerous cladding: This crisis has dragged on far too long

As Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, I am extremely concerned about about the remediation of unsafe cladding on residential blocks and the impact this is having on leaseholders. I have heard terrible accounts from people all over the country about how this situation is affecting them (I’ve written about…

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