Housing Secretary Steve Reed has criticised the Green Party for opposing housing developments whilst campaigning on the scale of the housing crisis, in comments made ahead of May’s local elections.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Reed stated: “The Greens talk about the housing crisis, but when it comes to actually building homes, they oppose, delay or vote them down.”
Opposition to 49,000 homes claimed
Reed said Green politicians present themselves as advocates for renters in London whilst their record in local planning decisions shows opposition to “at least 49,000” homes in the capital, including social and affordable housing schemes.
The Housing Secretary characterised this as a pattern rather than isolated incidents, with regeneration schemes resisted and planning applications challenged across London boroughs, slowing delivery of new housing supply.
“This is a politics that treats development as something to resist, rather than something to shape and deliver,” Reed said. “You cannot claim to stand for renters while opposing the homes renters need.”
Market implications
The political dispute highlights ongoing tensions between housing delivery targets and local opposition to development, factors that continue to affect development financing decisions and project timelines across the UK.
Reed pointed to families in temporary accommodation as bearing the consequences of delayed housing supply. “You don’t live in temporary accommodation for years. You live one week, over and over again,” he said.
The comments come as the government seeks to accelerate housing delivery, whilst estate agents face pressure from rising business costs and letting agents navigate regulatory changes.
“If you are not willing to build the homes people need, you are choosing to leave families in precarity,” Reed concluded.
The Green Party has not yet responded to the Housing Secretary’s comments.
