A LABOUR shadow minister was in Bolton ahead of tomorrow’s council elections.

Shadow Housing Minister Sarah Jones visited Westhoughton on Thursday to speak about solutions for people who cannot afford to buy their own home.

She visited the Park Grove development, which was transformed from an old council yard, where all 21 shared ownership two and three-bedroom homes are now reserved.

Shadow housing minister, Sarah Jones MP, said: “Shared ownership is a low-cost way for many to get a started on the housing ladder. It is good to see up close the progress on two very pressing local issues: defending and extending green belt and delivering homes that local people can afford.”

“The Conservatives have stretched their bogus ‘affordable’ housing claim beyond breaking point. By their definition, homes let at up to 80 per cent of market rents – over £1,500 a month in some areas – and homes for sale up to £450,000. It has become a deliberately malleable phrase, used to cover up a shift in government policy towards increasingly expensive and insecure homes.”

Shared ownership is a cross between buying and renting a home. A person can buy a share of the property, usually between a quarter and three quarters, and then rent the part they don’t own at a reduced rate. They then have the option to buy a bigger share of the property in future.

Council leader Linda Thomas pointed to the local action Labour is taking to tackle the housing crisis.

She said: “While we are restricted by local powers, our pledges to people locally are realistic. We are directly addressing their concerns. We will ensure that the right homes are built in the right place, that people can afford; protect our green belt by maintaining a ‘brownfield’ first approach to house building and deliver affordable housing.”

The Bolton News reported in January that no green belt land will be used to build the 13,940 homes in the borough according to the latest draft of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework – although some could be used for industrial sites.

The plan, rewritten by the mayor Andy Burnham and the 10 Greater Manchester leaders also aims to deliver 50,000 affordable homes in the period, at least 30,000 of which will be for social or affordable rent.

The government has committed to investing £1.67bn in the housing market. The investment will deliver an additional 23,000 affordable homes including at least 12,500 social rent homes in high cost areas to support families struggling to pay their rent.