Council candidates are to be quizzed on community-led housing at a hustings organised by the Brighton and Hove Community Land Trust.
The organisation wants to give people a chance to ask what the main political parties are doing to support and encourage community-led housing in Brighton and Hove.
Three of the four panellists are sitting councillors hoping to be re-elected to Brighton and Hove City Council at the local elections on Thursday 2 May.
And all three speak for their respective party on housing, including Councillor Tracey Hill, the new Labour chair of the Housing and New Homes Committee.
She will be joined by former Conservative council leader Mary Mears and David Gibson from the Greens.
The Liberal Democrats will be represented by Duncan Moore, the party’s candidate in Brunswick and Adelaide in May.
The hustings will take place at the Brighton University building at 154-155 Edward Street, Brighton, in Room 105, from 6.30pm to 8pm on Wednesday 27 March.
Brighton and Hove Community Land Trust (BHCLT) said: “This event will allow representatives to debate policies, air their views and answer questions from the audience.
“Through BHCLT, there are many groups of people in Brighton and Hove who have started their own community-led housing projects.
“These include co-operatives, cohousing and self-build – whether you are doing it with your own hands or contracting the work out.
“Community-led housing can include renting, private ownership, co-operatives, mutual home ownership and collective ownership.
“The key thing is that community engagement and consent is at the centre of any development.
“Either a group of local people have come together to start their own housing project, leading the way through the whole process, or they have an active involvement in making it happen and managing the resulting homes.
“Community-led housing is good for Brighton and Hove because
- It provides additional affordable and stable housing.
- It creates and demonstrates alternative ways of living which have a positive impact on wellbeing.
- It encourages collaboration and co-operation between local people and involves them in decisions about new housing.
- People have more say in how their homes are developed and managed, giving the opportunity for democratic control and greater local accountability. It can help local people develop new skills as they make their projects a reality.
- It creates an opportunity to make use of empty buildings and vacant land, revitalising communities.
BHCLT director Rita Garner said: “Brighton and Hove has the potential to be a nationwide leader in community-led housing.
“There are already many inspiring examples across the city, with around 15 new projects set up in the past year through our local hub.
“However, local people who want to start their own groups still face many challenges and we would love to see Brighton and Hove City Council take more steps to address these, building on the work they have already done.”
To book a ticket, click visit https://bhclt-community-housing-hustings.eventbrite.co.uk.
For more information about community land trusts and Brighton and Hove Community Land Trust, visit https://bhclt.org.uk.
