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We Need Council Housing

The campaign to build more council houses in the UK is a growing movement driven by a severe housing shortage, though it faces deep structural roadblocks. More Council Houses will address: Massive Waiting Lists: Over 1.2 million households are currently stuck on local authority waiting lists. Affordability Crisis: Private rents are at record highs, pricing low-income families out of secure housing. Homelessness Surge: Temporary accommodation costs are bankrupting local councils across the country. Lack of Social Stock: Decades of sales have left the UK with a critically low supply of public housing.

Organising
SJN Housing Working Group, with UK tenants rights groups and housing campaign organisations
Starts
1 Mar 2026
We Need Council Housing

SJN will Campaign to Overcome

  • Funding Shortfalls: Councils lack the billions in capital needed to launch large-scale building projects.

  • Right to Buy Leakage: New homes risk being sold off cheaply later under current Right to Buy rules.

  • Planning Bottlenecks: Bureaucratic planning laws and local opposition (NIMBYism) delay new developments.

  • Infrastructure Deficits: Shortages of skilled construction workers and high land costs slow down building.