Lib Dems call for 150,000 social homes a year as Gideon Amos MP presents “missing half” of Labour’s Housing Bill

The Liberal Democrats have introduced a Private Member’s Bill to drastically scale up the UK's housing ambitions, establishing a legal target of 150,000 new social homes built each year while embedding "Heat Ready" standards into all new developments.  
​Speaking ahead of the Second Reading of the Government’s Social Housing Bill, Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson Gideon Amos MP framed the legislation as the "missing half" of ministers' current plans. Calling for truly affordable homes as part of government policy, the party warned that Labour’s approach lacks the scale needed to solve the housing crisis or protect residents from climate change.  
​The proposed legislation grants local councils control over Right to Buy rules and receipts, while creating a rent-to-equity route for tenants to build home equity through regular rent payments. To future-proof developments, the Liberal Democrats have also called for mandated air conditioning in all new builds powered by solar panels under the "Sunshine Bill," alongside passive cooling measures such as expanded tree planting to prevent residential overheating.
Gideon Amos MP added:
​"The Government’s Housing Bill, on its own, is only half a plan. Our proposal provides the missing half: building 150,000 social homes a year, giving councils control over Right to Buy, and helping tenants build equity through their rent."
  
Emphasizing the environmental and long-term economic dimensions of the package, Mr Amos said:
​“Crucially, these homes must also be fit for the future, rather than built simply to hit quotas. By pairing mandatory solar panels with air conditioning, we can keep homes cool and energy bills low as a changed climate becomes the norm.”
  

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