According to YouGov, the Party commands a plurality of voters only among the over 70s. As far as voting intention is concerned, the Conservative Party is literally dying on its feet.
We are calling on the Government to allow social housing rents to be set directly by local authorities rather than centrally. This would ensure the long-term certainty necessary to deliver more social homes. Councils would also be truly accountable to tenants.
It is far cheaper and more effective to introduce resilience measures during construction, rather than relying on expensive retro-fitting once the damage has been done.
Birmingham has 861 council homes. It also has 3,658 empty council garages – many of which could be replaced with much needed housing.
Conservatives in other countries have managed to make housing a key plank of a winning platform. Our party still has a chance to do the same.
Planning policies lack credibility. The high street is struggling. Immigration causes increased pressure on housing and public services. At least education has improved.
Yesterday’s announcements comprise a Heath Robinson machine of carrots, sticks, guidelines, exemptions, and assessments – and even he doesn’t predict they will deliver anything like the numbers required.
The key problem is stagnation. Margaret Thatcher’s reforms promoted mobility and opportunity. Now we are an economy which doesn’t change enough.
The elements that came together to see a Conservative elected Mayor in 2008 – a national mood turning against Labour, a near-celebrity candidate in the as-yet-untarnished form of Boris Johnson, and a radical and increasingly unpopular incumbent – are not currently at hand.
Monday’s speech and today’s announcement show them choosing their ground for the next election. And since Hunt may find no money for further tax cuts next spring, the option of a May general election is opening up.
This difference is not just attitudinal – there is a lot more space in the States for one thing. But absent in the British mindset, at least at the moment, is this hunger for more, this urge to grow, that embodies the American psyche.
He says Labour are greatly underplaying the difficulty of passing any substantial reform, and that there will be a “bloody battle” to get anything done.
The Prime Minister’s rhetoric about being a man who makes the tough choices has not yet been borne out in his policymaking.
The latest report from Centre for Cities highlights how an impressive record on employment has been undermined by poor productivity, stagnant wages, and the rising cost of housing.