The UK Independence Party’s housing policy for the General Election hinges around a huge expansion in modular factory-built housing - but there would be restrictions on the sale of them.
The party’s manifesto - launched when the major parties were still refraining from high-profile campaigning following the Manchester bombing - says that in government it would roll out high quality, low cost factory-built modular homes, affordable on the national average wage of £26,000.
This would be possible by the redirecting of some of the £1 billion the party says will be under UK control when it no longer contributes to the EU regional development budget, following Brexit.
“We anticipate the total cost for a two-bedroom house will be under £100,000, including land purchase and restoration, construction, infrastructure and a contribution to the costs of the [newly set-up] Housing Development Corporation” says the party’s manifesto.
These homes will be for owner occupation and not rental, says the party - but the owners will be unable to sell them on the open market.
If a purchaser wishes to dispose of the property, says UKIP, they “must sell them back to the HDC at a guaranteed price of cost plus inflation over the period of ownership. Ownership can, however, be retained indefinitely.”
UKIP describes this as “The housing crisis solved.”
In addition the party wants funds from council and housing association Right To Buy programmes to be put back into what it calls ”community housing” and to allow mortgages “to become inheritable, as they are in other countries.”
You can see the party’s full manifesto here.
