Sheffield housing crisis: Councillor calls for rent controls and the end of right to buy to help combat crisis

A Sheffield councillor has called for more to be done by both local and central government to combat the housing crisis and create more affordable homes.
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Coun Minesh Parekh, for Crookes and Crosspool, would like the government in Westminster to end the ‘Right to Buy’ Scheme, which allows council properties to be bought by their tenants for discounted prices, and for rent controls to be introduced, as the devolved Scottish parliament is aiming to do.

He said: “Housing is a right not a privilege. There are more and more places in Sheffield that are becoming unaffordable, not just in house prices, but in rent too.”

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Due to the demand for housing, property prices continue to rise to record highs, with mortgage lender, Halifax, revealing house prices had risen 1.8 per cent during the month of June, the steepest monthly increase since 2007.

Councillor Minesh Parekh. Coun Parekh is calling for rent controls and the end of Right to Buy to allow the council to better support people in need of affordable housing.Councillor Minesh Parekh. Coun Parekh is calling for rent controls and the end of Right to Buy to allow the council to better support people in need of affordable housing.
Councillor Minesh Parekh. Coun Parekh is calling for rent controls and the end of Right to Buy to allow the council to better support people in need of affordable housing.
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‘They know scarcity leads to high prices’

Coun Parekh has said the government’s Right to Buy scheme is damaging Sheffield City Council’s council housing stock, meaning they have fewer and fewer properties available to support those who need it most and developers don’t build houses fast enough to help demand.

He said: “I completely think that the issue is that demand is so much higher than supply. We know mortgages are cheaper than renting but getting your foot in the door is so hard.

Councillor Minesh Parekh, with Coun Ruth Milsom (right). Coun Parekh believes there are not enough homes being built to cope with housing demand, which is driving up prices.Councillor Minesh Parekh, with Coun Ruth Milsom (right). Coun Parekh believes there are not enough homes being built to cope with housing demand, which is driving up prices.
Councillor Minesh Parekh, with Coun Ruth Milsom (right). Coun Parekh believes there are not enough homes being built to cope with housing demand, which is driving up prices.

“They know scarcity leads to higher prices.”

Coun Parekh has also called for policies to help renters with issues with landlords and skyrocketing rent prices

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He said: “This is my 11th year renting now and I don’t even want to think about the amount I’ve spent.”

He said that during his campaign for election, he spoke with people in Crookes and Crosspool who told him they had been having issues with their landlords.

Coun Parekh has suggested having more regulation in place to encourage landlords to cooperate more with their tenants, and suggested the government in Westminster implement rent controls, as the devolved Scottish parliament are currently in the process of doing.

He said it was important that councils “dictate what is a reasonable rent to charge”.

Shelter social housing report

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A report from the housing charity, Shelter, from November, 2021, found 1,812 social homes had been sold in Sheffield between 2015 and 2020, with only 229 being built in the same period.

A Sheffield City Council Housing Policy committee meeting from June 9, 2022 discloses there are only 39,000 social homes in Sheffield City Council’s housing stock, with 3,000 leasehold properties as well. Shelter’s report from November states there are 23,000 households on the social housing waiting list looking to get into a council property.

The Right to Buy scheme, originally introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government, means Sheffield City Council has very little power to stop purchases of social houses when buyers meet the criteria.

Shelter found Sheffield was in desperate need of additional social housing, as it could form a safety net for people in all sorts of crises.

The average rent for a social home in Sheffield is £317, compared to £575 in the private rented sector, which would offer many families being pinched by the cost of living crisis some breathing room.