2021 Manifesto FINAL DRAFT - Flipbook - Page 50
Other measures include exploring
the introduction of a Land Value
Tax, to discourage developers and
others from land banking – sitting
on land while waiting for values to
rise.
A vision for the future
In order to provide a housing
solution that will both meet
today’s needs and be fit for
tomorrow, we need a clear vision
for the future of housing in the
West Midlands. Changing patterns
of work, shopping and leisure, the
needs of an increasingly older
population, struggling
infrastructure and the climate
emergency all need to be
considered, not just the
immediate need to build more
homes. We must consider what
we build, where, how we build
and who we are building for, as
well as how housing fits into the
bigger economic and transport
picture for our region.
Our high streets are in decline. In
the last four decades we came to
regard them solely as shopping
destinations, and lost sight of the
original social role that they
fulfilled. To survive the switch to
online shopping, our high streets
need to re-invent themselves,
becoming mixed-use
developments of living,
socialising, working and retail
space.
In the transport section of this
manifesto I set out my plans for a
truly integrated public transport
network for the West Midlands,
along with better provision of
cycling and walking facilities.
Housing must play its part in this
too, with each home having
secure storage for cycles, ready
access to green space, and
located within half a mile of the
bus or rail network.
Housing
A drive on house building by local
authorities and housing
associations would not only
address the housing shortage, but
would also provide affordable
options for everyone, including
those on the lowest incomes. It
would see an end to the everincreasing number of people on
low incomes being made
homeless and of people sleeping
on the streets.