From the Revd Kenneth Padley
Sir, - I share the concerns of Alison Gelder (Comment, 26 October)
about the inexorable rise of mortgages and rents and the need to
challenge societal discourse about benefits and property wealth. My
economic instinct, however, is that her proposals of London
weighting on housing benefit and a return to rent regulation would
only add two inefficiencies into a market whose problem stems from
a third inefficiency, namely, restrictions on construction.
This crisis is caused by the supply
and demand for UK housing and has not been resolved because the
long-term solutions all have big political costs. From a Christian
perspective, there are also competing moral priorities. The demand
side could be dampened by reducing net population growth, which
might involve (a) disincentivising large families - which asks
awkward questions about individuals' freedom to choose; (b)
reducing net migration - always a hot potato; and (c) incentivising
larger households -for example, through restoring the Married
Person's Tax Allowance.
The alternative is to address the
supply side of the housing market, but this could only be achieved
at the expense of (d) the green belt and the power of local
communities to resist development that is in the greater national
interest.
All four suggestions are unpalatable;
but I feel that there is a greater injustice in doing nothing. My
personal preference would be to focus on (c) and (d).
The differences that churches can make
are small and local. The change that is needed is cross-party
cooperation for the good of the whole country.
KENNETH PADLEY
The Vicarage
St Michael's Street
St Albans AL3 4SL