The Equality Trust has responded to today’s Housing White Paper from the Government. Dr. Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director of The Equality Trust, said: 

“Our housing crisis is a national scandal. Millions are locked out of home ownership, paying through the nose to be trapped in sub-standard housing. At the same time a quarter of the richest 100 people in Britain have amassed billions, in part through their interests in our dysfunctional housing market.

“Today’s White Paper includes some welcome measures, not least new powers to seize land from fat cat developers who fail to build, but much more needs to be done. A major programme of house building must include a significant increase in social housing, and we need to see housing taxed effectively, with a progressive property tax replacing the outdated and unfair council tax. 

“There is a huge opportunity for this Government to tackle a problem that is decades in the making, but to do so it must concentrate on programmes that help ordinary people who are struggling, and close the wealth gap between billionaire land owners and the rest of us.” 

Notes to editors

The Equality Trust is a registered charity that works to improve the quality of life in the UK by reducing economic inequality. UK income inequality is among the highest in the developed world and evidence shows that this results in poorer mental and physical health, higher violent crime, poorer educational outcomes and lower levels of trust. Inequality affects us all.

For further comments or to arrange an interview, contact info@equalitytrust.org.uk