Local authority hustings event asks what the main political parties doing to support and encourage community-led housing in Brighton & Hove.
Ahead of May’s local authority elections, Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust (BHCLT) is holding a hustings event on community-led housing and Community Land Trusts.
The hustings will allow representatives of the four main political parties in Brighton & Hove to debate policies, air their views and answer questions from the audience.
The speakers will be:
- Councillor David Gibson, Green Party
- Councillor Tracey Hill, Labour Party
- Councillor Mary Mears, Conservative Party
- Duncan Moore, Liberal Democrat
Through BHCLT, there are many groups of people in Brighton & Hove who have started their own community-led housing projects. These include co-operatives, co-housing and self-build (whether you are doing it with your own hands or contracting the work out).
Community-led housing can include renting, private ownership, co-operatives, mutual home ownership and collective ownership. The key thing is that community engagement and consent is at the centre of any development. Either a group of local people have come together to start their own housing project, leading the way through the whole process, or they have an active involvement in making it happen and managing the resulting homes.
Community-led housing benefits Brighton & Hove because:
- It provides additional affordable and stable housing.
- It creates and demonstrates alternative ways of living which have a positive impact on wellbeing.
- It encourages collaboration and co-operation between local people and involves them in decisions about new housing.
- People have more say in how their homes are developed and managed, giving the opportunity for democratic control and greater local accountability. It can help local people develop new skills as they make their projects a reality.
- It creates an opportunity to make use of empty buildings and vacant land, revitalising communities.
Rita Garner, BHCLT director, said: “Brighton & Hove has the potential to be a nationwide leader in community-led housing. There are already many inspiring examples across the city, with around 15 new projects set up in the past year through our local hub. However, local people who want to start their own groups still face many challenges and we would love to see BHCC make more steps to address these, building on the work they have already done.”
Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust (BHCLT) is a membership organisation made up of local people who are concerned about the housing crisis and want to make constructive steps to end it. They want to make housing and land in the city genuinely affordable for present and future generations.
It is just £1 to become a member.
For more information, click here:
Event: Community-led housing hustings
Where: University of Brighton, 154-155 Edward Street, Brighton BN2
When: Wednesday, March 27
Time: 6.30pm-8.00pm
Cost: Free entry.
To register and guarantee your place, click here:
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