The Liberal Democrats have announced plans to address the housing shortage in Cambridge and build more affordable homes.
There are currently 2,193 families in Cambridge on a waiting list for council homes. In addition, official figures show almost 200 homes in the city have been empty for over six months.
The Liberal Democrats would introduce a legal requirement for smaller housing developments to include affordable homes, make it easier for local authorities and housing associations to borrow money to build council houses and affordable homes, and set up a new government-backed Housing and Infrastructure Development Bank.
The party would allow local authorities to hike up council tax on empty homes by up to 200%, including second homes. Local authorities could also choose to impose penalties on developers who leave plots of land empty for over 3 years, to tackle so-called land-banking.
Liberal Democrat candidate Julian Huppert commented:
"A Conservative landslide would allow the government to take people for granted, meaning years more of soaring rents and failure to build enough affordable housing.