Like many people in Crawley, I rent where I live, so I understand how difficult the situation is currently.
New figures published recently have revealed thousands of households are struggling to pay their rent in Crawley as the Conservative cost of living crisis deepens.
Approaching a year after the Conservative Party crashed the British economy, prices are still rising, interest rates are soaring, and renters are finding it increasingly hard to pay the bills. New ONS data reveals 43% of renters are struggling to pay the bills – there are 19,246 private renters in Crawley, which means at least 8,275 are struggling. Probably more given the high level of rents compared to average wages in the area.
Renters in Crawley are being hammered by the Conservative cost of living crisis. Yet, insultingly, this out of touch prime minister offers nothing except patronising rubbish about holding our nerve.
The Conservatives crashed the economy and the rest of us will pay the price for years to come. Families in Crawley simply can’t afford the Conservatives. Only Labour has a plan to get this country moving again. Through our mission-led government we have a plan to deliver the highest sustained growth in the G7, and we would bring in a Renters’ Charter, providing new certainty for renters, ending ‘no-fault’ evictions and introducing four-month notice periods for landlords.
Crawley Borough Council is also looking at ways it can strengthen renters’ rights and ensure the private rental sector housing team continues to have all the resources it needs to enforce the appropriate standards at all times. This is a promise from Crawley Labour’s manifesto we are determined to deliver on.
The Tories are out of touch and out of ideas. But our local renters have been failed and can’t afford to wait for a change in Government.
And nor can local council taxpayers. Thanks to the growing financial pressures more and more struggling local residents are being forced to come to the Town Hall seeking temporary accommodation as they are evicted. The council never gets all these costs back from the Government, which is ironic because it is entirely a cost created by its disastrous policies.
Cllr Michael Jones
Leader, Crawley Borough Council