How can the next administration deliver a coherent policy and affordable target for affordable homes?
That was the question put by Onchan MHK Rachel Glover to Chief Minister candidates Kirrie Jenkins and Chris Thomas at last week’s House of Keys hustings meeting.
Jenkins said the first thing to do was establish what constituted affordable.
“There has not really been a clear vision for people on the Isle of Man as to what is affordable,” she said. “What is affordable to one person is completely out of reach to the normal person.”
Ladder
She added: “We need to be looking at more of a ladder so that people who are in social housing need incentive to go into the first-time buyers.
“We need to look at the number of empty properties we have got, the number of holiday homes that we have got, second homes that we have got. And we need to look at why land prices are getting pushed up.
“This is not a one-stop solution. We need to look across the whole area.”
She said there needed to be investigation on supply costs, including transport.
Clarity
Thomas said a target for Tynwald was a motion to be laid as soon as possible to give “clarity” about what the aim was in terms of affordable housing.
The current Tynwald policy – that evidence about housing need should be used for identification of appropriate funding programmes – seemed “pretty good” he said, but there were “lots of spaces and gaps that need to be filled out in it”.
“We need to know how much we need to spend,” he said.
“Then we need to work out where we are going to do it, the availability of development sites, and who is going to do it.
“We need to know about the construction assets.”
The Tynwald commitment at present was to build, provide or facilitate up to 1,000 affordable homes over 10 years.
Housing and Planning Policy Minister
He said that left ambiguity, which was why he wanted to see a housing and planning policy minister to look into the different government departments to bring together the island infrastructure scheme and the work of local authorities and the Manx Development Corporation.
They would also determine the definition of affordable housing.
“This is a massive problem that we have got to take seriously.”