Birmingham’s recently formed council leadership has made two urgent requests to the incoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, centered on addressing the city’s escalating housing crisis.
Council leader Roger Harmer (Liberal Democrats) and deputy leader Julien Pritchard (Green Party) spoke at the ‘Connections for Prosperity’ conference, emphasizing the critical need for government support to build council housing and regulate the city’s troubled supported exempt housing sector.
Harmer highlighted that the shortage of affordable and social housing is Birmingham’s biggest challenge, with over 10,000 children currently living in temporary accommodation. “Forty years ago, Birmingham had nearly 120,000 council homes to rent; now, that number stands at about 57,000,” he explained. “We have been living off past investments for too long. The new Prime Minister must provide the resources to rebuild our social housing stock.”
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Pritchard stressed that solving the housing crisis requires focusing on genuinely affordable social rent homes. He pointed to areas like Druids Heath and Monyhull, undergoing major regeneration, where many council homes fail to meet decent living standards. “We need to lead by example as landlords,” he said.
Prime Minister Burnham has expressed intentions to launch the largest council housing program since the post-war era, yet detailed plans remain unclear. One possible approach involves allocating the existing £39 billion, 10-year housing investment budget primarily towards council- and housing association-led rental homes.
Following the May 7 local elections, a coalition of Greens, Lib Dems, and Better Birmingham Independents formed a minority administration, ending Labour’s longstanding control. Cllr Pritchard described the election outcome as a “political earthquake,” reflecting public frustration over neglected services, anti-social behavior, and poorly regulated housing.
A particularly acute problem is the growth of the supported exempt housing sector, unregulated shared homes intended for vulnerable groups like homeless youth, refugees, and care leavers. Harmer pointed out that while Birmingham needs 10,000–11,000 supportive beds, more than 33,000 such accommodations exist, often clustered in certain neighborhoods without proper oversight. “Some are profiting from people’s misery without providing adequate support,” he said. The council demands enforcement of regulations passed three years ago but yet to be implemented.
Looking ahead, the council leaders envision a cleaner, greener, and fairer Birmingham with renewed pride in local neighborhoods, an increase in council housing, and strengthened community services. Their immediate focus includes improving street cleanliness, pothole repairs, restoring local services, and combating anti-social behavior.
The Connections for Prosperity event attracted around 250 delegates, including business and community leaders, and was hosted by the Centre for New Midlands to promote regional prosperity.