The Labour Party should make the right to decent housing a human right through law in order to tackle the ongoing housing crisis, a new report argues.
The Labour Housing Group (LHG) and the Labour Campaign for Human Rights (LCHR) have published a joint report, titled Housing is a Human Right, which includes 16 essays from housing and human rights experts.
The report states every person should have the basic right to decent and affordable housing as standard and calls for rent controls, a rapid increase in the supply of social housing, an end to “no fault” evictions and enhanced legal aid to enforce housing rights.
LHG Secretary Sheila Spencer said: “We hope our report will focus attention on how Labour could make the human right to housing a central and popular feature of its platform for the next election – a powerful, long-term and binding framework that will underpin our policies to transform the prospects of homeless and badly-housed people.
“We show what this means in practice and how it could be made a reality. From investing in social housing and safety standards to tackling discrimination and giving tenants a real voice, a human rights approach to housing can help millions of people live in peace, security and dignity”
LCHR Director, Matthew Turner added: “As we show, there are many good reasons and strong international precedents for putting the right to adequate housing into domestic human rights law. Countries such as Canada, Finland and Portugal have shown us the way, while encouraging steps are being taken in Wales and Scotland too. For those of us in England, the real question now is not whether to do so, but when, and how.”
