Greens support campaign to resist 38% cut in County spending on housing

Oxfordshire County Council proposes a 38% cut in housing related spending. Oxfordshire Green Party supports the picket of the County Council organised for 12.45pm on Tuesday 28th January, organised by Oxford Homeless Pathways.

Steve Dawe, a Green Party campaigner for Iffley Fields, comments:

“Oxfordshire Green Party urges people to support the petition launched by Oxford Homeless Pathways to challenge the huge 38% cut proposed in housing spending. 

“Oxford has a housing crisis. Oxford’s housing is some of the most expensive in the country, with 28% of renters paying higher prices than anywhere else outside London. The ratio of average incomes in Oxford to average house prices had reached 11.5 times by 2011, and is likely to have risen since. There are about 5000 households on the local housing register waiting for social and council homes. Greens recognise that access to housing is a human right – the council must do more to meet the housing needs of people in Oxford.

“In practice, this means using empty homes, long term empty shopfronts and derelict sites first. Right-to-Buy must be brought to an end to help retain social housing. Greens would regulate all private rented housing to protect all tenants and peg council rents to inflation. We also want to crack down on rogue and rip-off landlords.”