"Keep Housing Affordable in Brighton and Hove"

Local people staged a demonstration using a ‘Wendy House’ outside Brighton Town Hall on Thursday 12th July because they want to keep housing affordable in Brighton and Hove.

Brighton and Hove Council under Labour leadership, established a target of 40% affordable housing in developments of 10 or more units of housing. At the Council meeting, Labour Councillors asked the current Conservative administration to stick to this commitment.

The demonstration follows a successful event staged at the Hanover Festival last Sunday when local families built their ideal affordable home out of Lego.

Nancy Platts, Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Brighton Pavilion, said: "Local people, especially young people, have been telling me they are being priced out of the housing market in Brighton and Hove. I want our City to remain a place of diversity, where young people can settle and contribute to the community. It’s essential that we have local policies that ensure sufficient, affordable housing is available to allow this to happen.”

Simon Burgess, Labour's candidate for Kemptown, said that Brighton & Hove's 40% target was ahead of most other authorities: but has been resisted by the Tories. "We must make the best use of former commercial and industrial sites, and ensure developers support the infrastructure needed for new builds. We have seen some imaginative and environmentally sustainable designs in the city and these must be encouraged nationally."