Green Party Set To Debate Policy Of Abolishing Landlords
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2 min read
The Green Party is set to discuss a policy of abolishing landlords at its conference in Bournemouth.
The conference, which takes place this weekend, is the first since London Assembly member Zack Polanski was elected the party's new leader last month, defeating joint contenders Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay MPs.
Polanski is a self-described "eco-populist" who is expected to push more left-wing positions in a bid to win over voters frustrated with the direction of the Labour government.
A policy motion being sent to conference reiterates the party’s support for building more council housing, but goes further with a call to “seek the effective abolition of private landlordism”.
It sets out five steps the party would take, starting with the introduction of rent controls and the scrapping of Right to Buy. It would also tax landlords via business rates on Airbnbs and double taxation on empty properties.
The party would end Buy to Let mortgages and give councils the Right to Buy when landlords sell properties, when the property doesn’t meet insulation standards, or when a property has been empty for more than six months.
Under the proposal, the Greens would also establish a state-owned housing manufacturer to mass-produce council housing for local authorities.
If passed, the motion would become party policy. The party's leadership can then decide whether to adopt the specific phrasing, but there is no obligation to do so.
While the party has long supported building more council housing, this motion represents a step change in its approach to the private rental sector.
In the Green Party's 2024 manifesto, for instance, the party called for more powers for local authorities to control rents, an end to no-fault evictions, and a right for tenants to demand energy efficiency improvements.
It also called for private residential tenancy boards to help settle disputes before they reach the tribunal stage.
Green member Alexander Sallons, the lead proposer of the motion, told PoliticsHome it would be “controversial in the party” as “many members are still uncomfortable with the bold and decisive tone”.
However, he is confident that it would pass if put to a debate in Bournemouth.
Steve Jackson, co-chair of left-wing pressure group Greens Organise and co-proposer of the motion, said: “Greens Organise members have voted overwhelmingly for us to support this motion at conference, and it's no surprise.
"The private rental sector in this country is broken beyond repair.” He added that “the myth that landlordism provides good housing outcomes is crumbling”.
