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5th February 2025 / 5th February 2025 by Chris Ogden
Manchester Green Party councillors have urged Manchester City Council to build the homes Manchester needs by guaranteeing more social and sustainable housing.
At today’s Manchester City Council meeting, Greens proposed an amendment to a Labour motion which called for the city to ‘remain at the forefront of social and affordable housing delivery’.
The amendment, rejected by Labour, called on the council to make 30% of new homes built in developments over 10 units available to residents on social rent, that this be enforced by section 106 obligations, and to ensure that all new developments are climate- and nature-friendly.
These recommendations have previously been made by Social Homes for Manchester, a community coalition which aims to increase the number of social homes created in Manchester by 2030 in an environmentally sustainable way.
Cllr Anastasia Wiest, leader of the Green Party on Manchester City Council and proposer of the amendment, said: “Social Homes for Manchester is a genuinely place-based and community-led effort. As councillors, it is our responsibility to be listening to them, taking their advice on board and putting it into action."
“Labour’s motion referred to ‘social and affordable homes’ but we know that these terms are not interchangeable. “Affordable” homes are still not affordable to many, as they can cost up to 80% of local market rent. We need more social homes.”
Rented housing is considered ‘affordable’ if it costs no more than 80% of local market rent. Social rent, meanwhile, is often set at around 50% to 60% of local market rent.
31 Manchester councillors previously pledged their support for Social Homes for Manchester’s campaign, including the Executive Member for Housing and Development, Cllr Gavin White.
“Social Homes for Manchester is a genuinely place-based and community-led effort. As councillors, it is our responsibility to be listening to them, taking their advice on board and putting it into action."
While the Greens’ amendment was lost, they supported Labour’s motion and will now hold the Labour council and government to account on their promises to build more social and affordable homes.
“Of course, we supported Labour’s motion as we do need to see more social and affordable housing,” Cllr Wiest added. “What we were doing was adding tangible targets to make it a stronger motion.
“What good is Labour’s word if many of their councillors pledged to support these targets, but wouldn’t take action to bring them about?”
At today’s council meeting, Greens also backed Labour and Lib Dem calls to bring assets into community ownership and work with agencies and contractors to help communities recover from the recent River Mersey floods.
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