NRLA to host housing panel at Labour Party Conference
The NRLA will be at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool next week, hosting a fringe event focusing on the importance of a robust and high quality private rented sector.
The country is in the grip of a housing crisis, with demand for homes of all tenures vastly outstripping supply. A vibrant PRS is essential when it comes to bridging this gap, but landlords are feeling the squeeze like everyone else.
The NRLA is campaigning for pro-growth taxation policies and support for landlords, the vast majority of whom are not fat cats, but basic rate taxpayers providing the safe and secure rented homes the country so vitally needs.
The event, ‘Winning People Back: How Can We Provide Housing That Meets the Public's Aspirations?’, will be held on Tuesday, October 10 and will address key questions, including:
- What does the public want from housing policy?
- How can we build public trust and confidence in the UK’s housing policy to support reform?
- What are the policy changes that we need to fix our housing crisis, including supporting our private rental sector?
- How can politicians, business, civil society, and the public work together to fix the housing crisis?
Speakers will include:
- Richard Rowntree, Managing Director of Mortgages at Paragon Bank
- Chris Norris, Director of Policy and Campaigns at NRLA
- Vicky Spratt, Housing Correspondent for The i
- Polly Curtis, Chief Executive of cross-party think tank Demos
NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle said: “The Labour Party Conference will be an important opportunity for us to engage with key members of the Labour party to stress the importance of a growing private rented sector.
“It is likely the conference will be the last before a General Election and, whilst we don’t know what the outcome will be, Labour is already setting out its stall as a 'Government in waiting'.
“Whichever party holds power, ensuring we are able to convey the views of landlords providing homes and that we have a positive working relationship with key politicians and decision-makers is incredibly important.”
The NRLA is still awaiting further details on the Labour Party's plans for PRS reform beyond last year's Renters' Charter proposal and expects housing and the PRS to feature heavily in discussions during the four-day conference. The party has, however, revealed it has abandoned plans to introduce rent controls should it come to power, with Lisa Nandy, Labour’s former Shadow Housing Secretary confirming the shift in policy earlier this year.
Tuesday’s event, which is being run in partnership with Demos, will run in Room 14 of the Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre (The ACC) from 12.30pm to 1.30pm and will be livestreamed here.
