Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU

2nd February 2012

Dear Eric,

In light of the current housing crisis facing the UK, I am writing to urge you to support the following policies aimed at alleviating the crisis and which have been identified by Brighton and Hove City Council as key for the city.

1. Diverting a proportion of the £75 billion of quantitative easing away from the banks and devoting it to launching a national social housing building programme of 100,000 homes a year over the next three years, to shorten the national housing waiting list and create thousands of jobs and apprenticeships and training in the building industry, the building supply chain and professional services like architects and surveyors;

2. Ending the sale of council homes and abandoning the proposals to increase Right to Buy discounts for council tenants; and

3. Abandoning plans to introduce 80 per cent market rents for new housing association home and relets and new council homes, which will lead to increased housing hardship and homelessness.

I urge you to support these measures and look forward to hearing your response.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion