Want an easy vote winner with young Londoners? Promise to help them with housing. Having said that, it’s clear: the capital’s rental market is widely seen as dysfunctional. The costs have rose significantly over the past decade and, according to the Office for National Statistics, many London renters now spend more than 40 percent of their rental income.
It makes sense, then, that the Green Party – which hopes to make significant gains in the London local elections on May 7 – has made housing central to its campaign.
According to an internal memo shared by party officials with activists on the ground and seen by New statesmanone of the main issues identified as turning voters away from Labor is affordable housing. This, according to internal feedback gathered through research and outreach, is compounded by a perception among some voters that Labor councils are more interested in striking “deals with developers” than delivering for residents.
The Green Party plans to adjust its lines of attack on the doorstep of the capital accordingly. The memo urges the authors to prioritize a “focused message” in their rounds: that “failed Labor councils” are “hitting developers”. The Greens also point to reporting on of the newspaper that Steve Reed attended a dinner with the housing developers who had paid to attend as part of this critique.
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The memo acknowledges that Green’s significant gains in London are by no means guaranteed. According to feedback from campaigners in key target areas – Hackney, Haringey, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich – pollsters report a consistent sense of some voters turning away from Labour. However, he adds: “not everyone is in the Green column yet, so this is an area where we need to up our game in the coming weeks.” This renewed focus on affordable housing is clearly an attempt to win over those undecided voters. But will it work?
This clear focus on rent controls and affordable housing is indicative of a new era for the Green Party, one in which its politicians embrace an unapologetically left-wing urban stance designed to appeal to city dwellers and graduates. On the surface, it might appear to be a departure from the Greens’ traditional approach to rural areas – some of whom are wary of housing and new development (earning the mantle of Nimby). Could this sharp focus on housing alienate some of those voters?
Launching his party’s local election campaign in south-east London, Zack Polanski pledged to prioritize building affordable housing, introducing rent controls and reforming or replacing the tenancy system. He said: “The Greens in local government will provide a real alternative to Labour’s failed status quo.”
If some of this sounds similar to what the Labor Party has been saying about housing, that’s because it is. Although the government has not committed to capping rents, Sadiq Khan has called repeatedly to devolve rent control powers to help slow rising housing costs in the capital. Meanwhile, the Rent and Freehold Reform Bill currently progressing through Parliament would be RESTRICT the use of rent in new housing developments and the introduction of wider reforms.
The pledges outlined by Polanski would go further than these measures, relying on a campaign by the Greens – a group close to the leadership – to oppose austerity measures of local government. They hope this extra ambition will sway undecided Labor voters in their direction. The party’s next challenge, however, will be to turn that support into electoral gains – and, ultimately, deliver.
(Further reading: Labor is divided over the Green threat)
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