'No desire to implement real change': former Housing Minister criticises government's affordable homes strategy
Jersey's former Housing Minister has criticised the island's government for failing to fix what he calls "a broken housing market".
Senator Sam Mézec asked the States to declare a "housing affordability crisis" in April.
Reform Jersey's leader says the new Action Plan published by Jersey's current Housing Minister is "a huge disappointment" and "seems to avoid committing to the implementation of recommendations" made in the Housing Policy Development Board (HPDB) report.
Senator Mézec believes the HPDB report is "already a comprehensive action plan" and has suggested the government could be trying to hold-up making any changes.
The government Action Plan includes promises to invest £10 million to support local families buying their first home and to provide 1,000 new affordable homes by 2025.
Senator Mézec says the affordable homes pledge, lower than the 1,500 affordable homes projected in the Bridging Island Plan, "represents just 1/3 of the demand there is today on the Affordable Housing Gateway, and so is clearly inadequate".
He will try to get a commitment to several rental reforms on affordability, with a proposition up for debate in the States next week, and says his party will not take a back seat on the issue.