Where will Labour’s ‘new towns’ be?

Angela Rayner has vowed to help first-time buyers as she promised Labour would build 1.5 million homes if the party wins power.

The deputy leader pledged a ‘next generation of new towns’ would be part of a major national house-building drive to rival the post-war boom.

Speaking to property developers in Leeds today, Rayner said Labour would bring back local housing targets and that 40% of homes built must be affordable.

A chronic failure to build enough homes has left hundreds of thousands unable to get a council house, while demand has pushed up prices for those struggling to get on the housing ladder.

Keir Starmer – who has declared himself to be a ‘yimby’ (‘yes, in my back yard’, or, in other words, pro-housing advocates) – and Rayner, who is also shadow housing secretary, have vowed to reform the ‘gummed up’ planning system and put housing at the heart of their election offer.

Here’s what you need to know.

Where will Labour’s ‘new towns’ be?

Rayner said Labour would ‘back developers who deliver’ house-building but did not outline precisely where new towns would be.

A new task force would make a set of recommendations for locations within six months and have a list of projects within a year, if Labour won the general election, she added. The party claims 1.5 million homes would be built over the course of the parliament.

‘A list of projects will be announced within our first 12 months of government, so we can start building the towns of the future within months, not decades,’ she said.

Some reports suggest a Labour government may be looking at sites in the Midlands, including Nottingham, Stafford and Northampton, as well as possible developments either side of the Thames estuary in South East England.

Rayner said the housing can be delivered without further government borrowing, with the private sector financing new-builds with the help of the UK Infrastructure Bank.

Party insiders have previously told reporters that as well as ‘new towns’, Labour would focus on concentrating more housing within existing developments.

What about public services?

The deputy leader spoke about the quality of homes, after ‘new towns’ built under the previous government were criticised for being shoddy.

She also said the need to public services such as healthcare and transport, as well as green spaces, would be written into regulations.

‘Labour’s New Towns are just one part of our ambitious house-building agenda which will see swathes of good quality, affordable houses built in the national interest,’ she said.

‘Developers who deliver on their obligations to build high-quality, well-designed and sustainable affordable housing, with green spaces and transport links and schools and GP surgeries nearby, will experience a new dawn under Labour.’

Can I get a mortgage for a home in Labour’s ‘new towns’?

Rayner said that first-time buyers would get ‘first dibs’ on the new homes.

Labour has previously said it would introduce a ‘comprehensive mortgage guarantee’ system, similar to the current Help To Buy scheme, that ‘tilts the balance’ towards helping renters and excludes buy-to-let landlords and second homeowners.

The Help To Buy scheme enables people to buy a property with just 5% deposit as they can access a loan for up to 20% of the property value from the government.

For those renting, Rayner said Labour would ban so-called no-fault evictions ‘no ifs, no buts’.

What do the Conservatives say about Labour’s plans?

Party chairman Richard Holden said the Tory government was on course to deliver one million homes by the end of this Parliament and added that when Labour was last in power it ‘completely failed’ to build enough homes.

‘Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives will stick to the plan, which is working, delivering one million homes by the end of this Parliament, with 250,000 more affordable homes delivered through the Affordable Homes Programme.’

When is the next general election?

The latest the next national poll can be held is January 2025, but it may be a lot sooner.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he expects the next election to be “in the second half” of 2024.

Most predict it will be held in either October or November to avoid clashing with people’s summer holidays or Christmas break.