An organisation representing thousands of people in Brighton and Hove has called on the council to make more local homes affordable, more for key workers and to create more of a sense of community.
Brighton and Hove Citizens challenged councillors to support its campaign at the organisation’s “accountability assembly” yesterday (Thursday 25 April).
Chidi Ezikpe, a nurse practitioner at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, shared his experience of struggling to pay rent during the meeting at the Brighton Salvation Army Congress Hall.
When he arrived in Brighton, it took Mr Ezikpe months to get a viewing and the costs were “ridiculously high”.
He said: “As a couple, my wife and I had to make a lot of sacrifices to be able to afford a fairly decent place to live.
“It became even harder when we had a baby daughter and needed a bigger apartment. The only way we could afford somewhere was we had to work more shifts and even through our annual leave.
“It feels like we’re working all the time to pay rent and we are unable to save anything or plan ahead.
“We have to sacrifice family time together because we are always working to keep up with the rent.
“The high cost of housing in Brighton and Hove is making it impossible for me to live and work here.”
Mr Ezikpe considered moving to a cheaper part of the country. He told the assembly how recently more than 10 of his nursing colleagues have relocated to less expensive areas.
The high cost of housing is reflected in the decrease in the number of international nurses working at the hospital. He said that the number had dropped from more than 200 to fewer than 100.
Mr Ezikpe said that he believed things could change and the alliance of Brighton and Hove Citizens could provide a solution.
The leader of Brighton Congress Hall, Salvation Army captain Kate Gregory, said that Brighton and Hove could not afford to lose skilled key workers like Mr Ezikpe.
Captain Gregory said: “We’re tired of being priced out and being made to live in areas where the soul of our wonderful city is just being quashed.
“At the moment, developers that build big buildings cross the city don’t live here, don’t know the city well and don’t think much of us as people but think a lot about the money they can earn here and take out.”
She said that unaffordable housing was driving people away from their friends and family in Brighton and Hove and putting the community and schools under pressure, with two schools closing because of falling pupil numbers.
Captain Gregory said that no developer had met their affordable housing targets set during the planning process in recent years.
Brighton and Hove City Council aims for 40 per cent of homes in larger schemes to be classed as affordable.
Labour councillor Gill Williams, who chairs the council’s Housing and New Homes Committee, accepted a large piggy bank, a key and a sculpture to show a commitment to affordable housing, key worker homes and developments with a sense of community.
Councillor Williams said: “I live and breathe housing. I’ve been a housing campaigner. I’m chair of housing and my vision for our city is to get everybody a decent home to live in.
“Everyone deserves a decent, secure and affordable home. I will leave no stone unturned in this city to achieve that.”
Councillor Williams agreed to work with Brighton and Hove Citizens on its goals of affordability, homes for key workers and community.
The Brighton and Hove Citizens called for
- Schemes to include a minimum of 40 per cent affordable homes – and 50 per cent if built on public land
- A quarter of affordable homes to be available at “living rents” based on income
- Half of the affordable homes to be family homes
- All new homes to be “primary residences” not second homes or holiday homes
- Priority for key workers
- Incentives for people to downsize to release family homes
This is daily life in the south uk
The answer is not to inflate the cost of local housing by allowing people on housing benefit to live in the town centre. Housing benefit levels should just be lowered. This would push these people to cheaper areas and reduce the price of housing for people that work that actually need to live in the city centre. Not everyone should expect to live in a place like Brighton.
You don’t have to be unemployed to be on housing benefit. Forcing them out of the city, based on an unproven economic theory, could make them unemployed though.
I lived in Lambeth in the 1980s – I learnt that a radical council does not cower to government decree. It unites with other like-minded councils to demand change. In this case that means demanding that central government abolish the 1961 Land Compensation Act. It means challenging the oligopoly of the big house builders. Until the issue of land ownership is tackled, the crisis of affordability will continue. Big business buys up pre-planning permission land and the iniquitous 1961 Act ensures the owners reap the financial gain from permissions granted (in other countries 50 percent of the land gain goes to the community). Buying up land, hoovering up permissions and sometimes sitting on the land for years while values rise results in the big developers putting the small house builders out of business. The CMA inquiry was a good step but its alarming (and revealing) that no Labour government ever challenges the oligopoly of the big house builders (and not a whisper on this from B&H Labour either).
CLTs are an interesting strategy when it comes to creating housing for specific demographics, such as key workers. Council aren’t allowed to do that legally, as I understand itr. Still, I’ve met Cllr. Williams quite a bit, and I do believe her when she says she lives and breathes housing. She is quite relentless in that pursuit!
More social/council housing stock at affordable rents. These new blocks going up start at £1300 a month rent plus peppercorn rent for services. Crazy
And £1,300 is below average too. I think we can all agree we need more stock.
What is a typical rent for a one bedroom flat?
Every time a new plan to build flats in the city is proposed there are protests and complaints from locals – it’s simple supply and demand .. allocate more land for building, approve more building plans increase supply and prices will fall!
An Urban Village of 500 ‘Units’ (not homes) has been approved on Melbourne Street. It provides ZERO affordable housing and NO families can live there. The price is £1700 a month for a room with a pull down bed (Kosy Living). Its a disgrace that this has been approved. I fear that more of these developments are on the way. Its just a way for developers to cash in on the housing crisis and Brightons popularity.
Its a shame that nothing is being done to stop this over development and support those that need it the most.
Good Luck to those fighting and hoping for more change!