THE whole of the last century proved beyond doubt that the private market in housing in Britain is not fit for purpose. It will never meet the needs of the people. There are a number of reasons why this is the case. Once again — two decades into the 21st century — we are back into an acute crisis.

A decent roof of our own over our head. It is not too much to ask. Either bought or more likely rented. Yet these words, or something like them, are increasingly heard from people young and old in my constituency of Hemsworth. Here we have seen council waiting lists for housing increase from 20,014 households in 2014 to 29,227 in 2019. It’s the same across the country as a whole.

Take rented housing. The facts speak for themselves. Tragically, more than a million households are in need of social housing. Estimates show that this will rise to over two million in England in 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.