An immediate private sector rent freeze and eviction ban for the duration of the cost of living crisis is the key policy of the Green Party for next month’s local elections.

It says: “In the short term, we would introduce an immediate rent freeze and eviction ban to prevent people being made homeless in the middle of this cost of living crisis, as the Scottish Greens have already done as part of the Scottish Government. 

“In the longer term, we would give councils the power to bring in rent controls in areas where the housing market is overheated. We would also place much stricter controls on the type of new homes being built to include more affordable and social housing for buying and renting.

“Everyone deserves a place that they can call home. That is why our Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter will deliver the change we want to see across the housing sector and create fairer, greener communities.”

The Greens have around 540 councillors in England and Wales now and have control of Brighton council.

If they got wider traction their Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter would involve:

• Creating 100,000 new council homes a year built to the Passivhaus or equivalent standard;
• Empower local authorities to bring empty homes back into use;
• Incentivise renovation and improvement of existing buildings to reduce the environmental impact of new construction;
• Incentivise local authorities to spread small developments across their areas, where appropriate, rather than building huge new estates;
• Require new developments to be accompanied by the extra investment needed in local services, such as providing extra school and GP places and better bus services.
• Ensure all new developments will be located and designed to ensure that residents do not need cars to live a full life;
• Introduce rent controls and end what it calls ’no-fault’ evictions.

Carla Denyer, a party co-leader, says: “This year’s local elections are a crucial step for the Greens as we look to not only defend hundreds of seats across the country but continue our unprecedented growth, breaking through on to new councils and gaining control of councils where we already have representation.

“With the cost of living crisis, the climate crisis and more and more people looking for a fresh political voice, it has never been more important to get Greens elected.”