Lib Dems Champion Local Families Over Investors in New Housing Bill

The East Riding Liberal Democrats are backing a new parliamentary bill aimed at tackling the UK’s widening housing crisis by prioritising primary residences over second homes and investment properties.

​Led by Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George, the proposed legislation seeks to reform a housing market that critics argue has left thousands of families unable to secure stable accommodation.

​"Our housing system is a shameful display of just how wide inequality in this country is,"  Andrew George MP.

​Shifting Focus from Targets to Local Needs

​According to the Liberal Democrats, successive governments have failed to solve the housing crisis because of an over-reliance on rigid house-building targets. They point to areas like Cornwall and East Riding as clear evidence of this policy failure. Despite significantly increasing their housing stock over the last 60 years, the housing challenges faced by local residents have only worsened as numbers of second homes increase in coastal and rural communities.

​The new bill proposes a shift in strategy, offering a range of remedies designed to empower local areas:

​Community Rights: Strengthening the power of local communities to deliver genuinely affordable homes.

​Needs-Based Planning: Allowing planning authorities to set targets based on actual local housing needs rather than arbitrary construction numbers.

​Balancing the Market: Introducing measures to manage the influx of investment properties.

​"I am proposing measures to help communities rebalance the scales between the need for first homes and the understandable desire to invest in second and holiday homes" Andrew George MP 

​The Scale of the Issue in East Riding

​While the housing crisis is often associated with the far south-west, local campaigners stress that the pressure on northern rural and coastal markets is just as acute. New figures highlight the growing footprint of property investors and holidaymakers within Yorkshire itself.

​In the East Riding of Yorkshire, there are an estimated 2,000 second homes currently putting pressure on local stock. According to official statistics, approximately 7% of all dwellings in the East Riding area are now classified as second homes with no usual residents. This significant concentration of empty properties, especially in coastal and rural villages; has restricted the local housing supply, driving up prices and reducing options for young buyers and working families who require full-time accommodation.

​The data reveals a stark reality for the region, showing that thousands of residential properties are functioning as static investments rather than active households. This trend has transformed local property dynamics, reducing the volume of available stock for long-term residents and distorting the entry-level price point for first-time buyers who are trying to enter the market.

​Direct Impact on Local Communities

​The initiative has garnered strong support from regional Liberal Democrat leaders, who emphasize the social cost of the current system on towns and villages.

​Councillor Denis Healy, Leader of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) Liberal Democrat Group, highlighted the urgent need for a change in approach to protect the fabric of local communities.

​“Too many local families are being priced out of the communities they grew up in," said Cllr Healy. "This Bill is a common-sense step towards ensuring that homes are first and foremost places to live, not investment assets, helping keep our villages, towns and coastal communities vibrant and sustainable.”