A few weeks ago I spent an afternoon in Castle Park, talking to passers-by about their housing situation. Most of the people I spoke to were renters, and I asked them how much they pay, what they get for the money, and how much of their take-home pay goes on rent.
The answers were wide-ranging – but many of the people I spoke to were paying £700 or more for a room in a shared flat, with rent taking up 30 or 40 percent of their income. Shockingly, one person I spoke to told me that they spend 70% of their income on rent each month. All of them said they’d like to own a home one day, but for most that felt like a distant dream rather than something they could plan to do soon.
Sadly, this is a common story in Bristol. New figures show that the average private renter in Bristol spends 44.6% of their wages on rent – and many Bristolians are being forced to move out of the city because they can’t afford to live here any more. It’s a tragedy that people who have called Bristol their home for many years are being pushed out by spiralling rents.
But despite extortionate housing costs having a devastating impact on people’s lives all across the country, this Labour government has refused to take any action to stop rents from rising. Earlier this year, I asked them to consider introducing rent controls – a policy that allows the government or council to set a maximum price for rents based on local factors – as part of their Renters’ Rights Bill, but they refused.
Now, I’m calling on the government to use their new Devolution Bill to give regions like the West of England the power to introduce rent controls locally where needed, to protect tenants from unfair rent hikes. It’s not just me who thinks this is needed – a majority of councillors on Bristol City Council, including the Labour councillors, voted to say they want the power to trial rent controls in the city.
It’s time to bring some fairness back to renting. Today, if a 21-year-old rents a single room in Bristol at the average rate, they will have put £80,000 into a landlord’s bank account by the time they reach their 30th birthday – no wonder that for many young people the idea of saving for a deposit to buy a home is out of reach.
I feel deeply sad at the idea that so many people could be forced to leave our city because they can’t afford to live here any more – I love Bristol’s diverse, vibrant community, but that won’t survive if only the richest can afford to live here. I’m determined to protect this city from the devastating impact of rip-off rents and will keep fighting for everyone’s right to a secure, affordable home.
• If you live in Bristol Central and have a local issue you need support with, you can email me at bristolcentraloffice@parliament.uk or write to Carla Denyer MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA For enquiries about national issues email me using carla.denyer.mp@parliament.uk