Understand
Zack Polanski calls for a three-year emergency brake on private rent rises
Overview
At the Green Party's conference in Brighton, leader Zack Polanski is set to call for a three-year cap on private rent increases, limiting them to the lowest of wage growth, inflation, or 2%. Polanski will frame housing as a key issue of generational fairness and argue that current government measures do not go far enough. Meanwhile, the party is also grappling with political shifts following Labour's change in leadership under Andy Burnham and preparing for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
Key points
- Zack Polanski is proposing a three-year emergency brake on private rent increases during his speech at the Green Party conference.
- The proposed cap would limit rent rises to whichever is lowest out of wage growth, the consumer price index measure of inflation, or 2%.
- Polanski will argue that high rents force many people to continue living with their parents, impacting generations from 19-year-olds to 35-year-olds.
- The Institute for Fiscal Studies has previously warned that rent controls could lead to unintended consequences such as reduced rental supply.
- The Green Party leadership claims that political pressure from the Greens has forced Labour into shifting its stance on several key issues.
- Polanski is also standing as a candidate in the upcoming Holborn and St Pancras by-election.