"Local families need a roof over their head" - Farron

During National Housing Day South Lakes MP has called on bodies who own public land to do more to make sure every local family has a roof over their head.

Commenting, Tim said "The biggest barrier to building the homes we need is political will. I don't just mean that the other political parties have been too afraid to speak up for the millions without homes. I mean that central government departments are too afraid to use the land they have to build homes, public bodies don't realize how important the assets they have are, local councils are too slow to take responsibility for delivering the homes that their local people need.

"We need to change attitudes, right from the local councilor who wants to ignore the housing need in their area, to the black and white thinking in government organizations that stops us working together to solve this crisis. I am encouraging everyone from Network Rail, the NHS and other big holders of public land, to the renters who need homes needs to join up to the campaign to build the homes we need."

Ensuring that people have access to good housing is a local issue, but it must also continue to be a national priority. That's why I attended a Homes for Britain drop-in session in Parliament last week, and why in the run up to the General Election I'll be representing the people of South lakes by calling for an end to the housing crisis within a generation."

As part of a policy package to end the housing crisis by building 3m homes over 10 years, Tim has also called on the Government to invest more in housing, to give local areas like South Lakes the right to control their own affordable housing, including giving them the right to suspend right to buy, and to create a new housing investment bank to simplify and target public and private investment towards housing.