The Tory council and government has let down people who want a decent home to live in, says Labour.

Northumberland Labour leader Scott Dickinson said: “Eleven years of Tory rule and four years of a Tory council in our county have little or nothing to address the housing crisis.

“In just one year we invested in over £20m which saw 1,200 homes being built.

“We helped to put roofs over the heads of people who needed them, and they refurbished many council run or housing association properties to bring them up to modern standards. We built affordable homes so that people getting on the housing ladder could stay where they were brought up. This was against a background of savage cuts from central government.

“People right across the county benefited from the Labour promise of decent homes for everyone.

“In the four years since the Tory council was elected, they haven’t even managed to build 200 homes. They’re all about making money with developers. We’re interested in making homes for people.

“We’re in full support of Labour’s national commitment to tackle the housing crisis.

“The housing situation in this country is out of control under the watch of a government which has allowed foreign investors developers to take priority over ordinary people who just want somewhere they can afford to live.

“A Labour government and council will give housing the commitment and investment it and local people deserve. In a modern rich country like ours a decent home isn’t a luxury, it’s a human right.”