HOUSING shapes every community. It affects who can stay near their families, who can work locally, and whether our young people feel they have a future here.

For years, Cornwall has been at the sharp end of the housing crisis — 23,000 households are on the social housing waiting list, and the number of households in temporary and emergency accommodation has risen dramatically (by 265 per cent since the pandemic) and still sits at more than 800.

Last week, in Westminster, I hosted the launch of Cornwall’s new Housing Strategy. It brought together MPs, Cornwall Council leaders, Homes England, social housing providers and building contractors and developers – all the people we need in the same room if we want homes built. The launch emphasised a shared determination to deliver social and affordable homes for the people of Cornwall.

The launch really showed what is possible when we work together. A strong partnership with Homes England, backed by Cornwall’s Labour MPs, can drive Cornwall’s Plan for growth of the right houses in the right places for local people forward and turn it into reality. This is why this new Housing Strategy matters. It recognises the need for urgent, coordinated action and a plan that actually delivers the right homes in the right places for local people.

There are a number of stalled development sites in Cornwall, places like the brownfield former council offices at Pydar, which are set to benefit from the Labour government’s once-in-a-generation investment of £39-billion into social and affordable housing. With a brownfield-first approach and new brownfield passports, where proposals that meet design and quality standards get a “yes” by default, we can start making real progress towards the government’s 1.5-million homes target.

The Brownfield Land Release Fund will also give councils the resources needed to decontaminate land, clear disused buildings, and improve infrastructure such as internet, water, and power - everything needed to get stalled sites moving again.

At Prime Minister’s Questions last month, I pressed directly for government support to build social and affordable housing in Cornwall and invited both the housing minister and Homes England’s leadership to attend the launch. Ahead of the event, I brought Cornwall Council cabinet members and officers together with housing minister Matthew Pennycook to discuss how we can unlock the pace, scale and funding Cornwall needs to build affordable homes.

Cornwall’s housing strategy has a pipeline of projects, such as Pydar, that require partnership working and support from the government to build the necessary infrastructure to make them great places for local people to live. Cornwall Council has produced a Cornwall-focused plan, and I, alongside Cornwall’s other Labour MPs, will keep pushing to secure the investment and support our communities need.

Housing shouldn’t be a privilege; it’s a necessity. I welcome a practical, committed partnership with Homes England and will keep fighting to make sure Cornwall receives its fair share of the £39-billion Labour has committed to social and affordable housing.