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

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…

The cladding crisis – a human tragedy

For those unaffected by the cladding scandal, it may be difficult to understand the different ways this is weighing on people’s lives. So I thought I would go through my inbox and look at a few worrying cases. There are heart breaking stories of people’s lives on hold, including emails…

Housing, homelessness and the new variant of COVID-19

I sent this letter to Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick before Christmas. I am yet to receive a response – to this or my previous letters. With evictions restarting next week and many homeless hostels unable to open fully, we urgently need answers to these questions.

Efficient housing can drive a green economic recovery

Last month Labour launched a report on a green economic recovery for the UK (for housing proposals see p.14-16), showing how we intend to recover from the current economic crisis by investing in green jobs and technologies. Replacing windows, lagging lofts and insulating walls are all labour intensive, semi-skilled tasks.…

All children deserve a home

On Wednesday this week I spoke in a debate about an important – but often hidden – aspect of homelessness, temporary accommodation. When people talk about homelessness, they are often mean rough sleeping. In fact, rough sleepers only make up a small part of the homeless population in this country.…

This winter, rough sleepers need more help

For many rough sleepers this winter could be a struggle for survival. With homeless shelters closed because of the pandemic, colder weather and a deadly virus circulating, this winter looks like it will be particularly dangerous for people living on the streets. Sadly, the government help for rough sleepers is…

Why has the government turned its back on rough sleepers?

In the first lockdown, rough sleepers were helped off the streets into emergency accommodation. There is no doubt that this decisive move saved lives. At the time, ministers made impressive announcements that the government would “end rough sleeping for good”. Sadly, the gains from the spring seem to have been…

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