Decent housing is a fundamental human right. Too many local people live in overcrowded houses because renting and buying are so expensive. Fewer than half of homes in South Cambs are wellinsulated and are expensive to run.

Labour will insist on 40% minimum affordable homes in new developments. Lib Dems and Conservatives have failed to deliver this. We lost 1100 affordable homes at Waterbeach New Town when the requirement was slashed by a quarter

We will follow Labour in Cambridge and change the scope of the South Cambs Investment Partnership to make building Council Homes its main purpose.

Our housing programme will be ambitious. When we say: ‘affordable’ we are clear that we mean Council Homes providing secure tenancies at social rent. We want new homes at net zero carbon standards.

We’ll work with villages interested in Rural Exception Sites. This means small patches of land can be used to provide affordable housing for local people.

Under the Conservatives, the council housing stock in South Cambs reduced and the Lib Dems have done little to turn this around. They have added a mere 109 homes (2% increase). Yet there are 1700 families waiting on the housing register.

A Labour Council will:

★ Insist on the 40% minimum affordable homes target in new developments and focus on homes for social rent. Our target is to build 50 more Council Homes a year by 2024 than the current plans.

★ Develop better strategies for ending homelessness. Some families have been waiting a year for permanent housing. We must do better. And South Cambs should look at innovative approaches for rough sleepers such as housing pods.

★ Make all of our new housing accessible to people with disabilities, with at least 5% specifically adapted.

★ Support Community Land Trusts — democratic, non-profit organisations that own and develop land for and with the local community.

★ Back tenants to stand up to private landlords so that their homes are maintained properly, making better use of inspection and enforcement.

★ Bring the 300 non-decent Council homes in South Cambs up to standard.

★ Safeguard sustainable futures in new developments, with large green spaces, community facilities and quality active transport links (using Section 106 agreements). No more waiting years for a proper High Street as Cambourne has.

★ Work with the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance to improve the response to domestic abuse. Housing is the main barrier to fleeing violence (for women, especially).