The Bristol Labour Group have reacted to the news that Bristol City Council has announced a record-breaking 680+ affordable homes were built in Bristol during the 2025/26 municipal year. The schemes that have been built were all begun under the former Labour administration, highlighting the continuing impact of Labour's commitment and work to get affordable homes delivered in the city.
While Bristol Labour welcomes the news, there are concerns than Green Party policies mean the Council will not improve on these figures, which will instead decrease by 2027/28 as their policies take effect.
Speaking about it, Councillor Tom Renhard, Leader of Bristol Labour, said:
"We're immensely proud to see over 680 new affordable homes were built in Bristol over the last 12 months. Having a safe, secure, permanent roof over your head is one of the biggest determinants of life outcomes; these new homes will make a profound, positive difference for their new residents.
"Homes are not built overnight and can take several years to come forward. The former Labour administration placed huge importance on tackling the housing crisis. When an update was last provided, all the completed homes were already under construction during the Labour administration - so I am proud our hard work continues to pay off.
"29% of these new affordable homes are council-owned, which reiterates the importance of having the Council playing an active role in the housing crisis. There is no solution to the housing crisis that does not include an ambitious council house building programme. Considering the Green Party's sweeping cuts to the council housebuilding programme, I remain unconvinced that they understand this.
"To make matters worse, earlier this year, the Green-led administration signed off on changes which effectively removed affordable housing requirements from new developments. This, combined with the sweeping cuts to the council housebuilding programme, makes it clear we are going in the wrong direction, which will impact the number of families that can be housed in safe and secure homes in future years.
"Bristol desperately needs to continue to see an increase on these figures, year on year. The national Labour Government is playing its part through the £39billion social and affordable homes programme. The Green Party need to do theirs. By u-turning on their cuts, restoring the council housing pipeline in full, and by forcing developers to build social housing, we can achieve this."
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