To ask what one or two policies you think could make the biggest difference to the U.K.?

[whatkatydid2013]

To me the big one is social housing. I feel like if we could build up a large supply of social housing at reasonable rates all over the country the benefits would be massive. It would make life affordable for many more people and lead to them being less likely to need in work benefits. The affordable rents would cover maintenance and could keep large numbers of people in stable employment doing said maintenance (as well as creating administrative roles). It would make it less challenging to staff key worker roles in more expensive areas. In the short term I appreciate it would be a massive expense but it seems like in the long term it would cost less than our current system on a going basis and it would make many people a lot more financially secure. I find it disappointing that all main parties seem so focused on home ownership in their policy statements. I know there are many important policy areas but this just always feels like one that’s very central and totally glossed over by all parties. Maybe because there isn’t a quick, easy fix?

Reform and properly fund the NHS, including dentistry.

More social housing , including repurposing empty shops and brownfield sites to bring back life to the High Street.

Better protection for greenfield sites and the environment generally(eg rivers)

Reverse the wholesale university attendance expectations and bring back apprenticeships, especially in trades.

Some form of National Service for all NEET young people and long term unemployed adults, not necessarily in the Armed Forces but a non criminal Community Service, to “ to tidy up this filthy country after years of fund cutting on roads, grass verges, woods maintenance, street cleaning “, as someone suggested upthread. Tree planting and allotments gardening might also come under this.

State ownership of all utilities.

Immigration reform. Better systems to stop illegal immigration, better system for processing and housing refugees and asylum seekers. Let them work, possibly in the newly created Community Service, which would help them socially

Agree that all of these plans are longer term than the four years election period and all parties should commit to them.

Totally agree, except for telecommunications, where I think competition has made things a lot cheaper.

Utterly ridiculous and unenforceable.

Social house building - and taxing empty second homes - empty more than say 50% of the year.

I'd suggest a look at rental sector - as landlords with bad tenants seem to have little protection and can face rapidly spiralling while tenants really don't have enough.

I'd also look at funding and doing big infrastructure projects for public transport outside of London.

I'd also wish they'd look at European models for funding health care as NHS is in desperate need of reform and given aging population much more money.

Inheritance tax laws so wide and deep they make it near impossible to inherit wealth and property from your parents/grandparents. Royal family included (renationalise that land and those properties).

No private schooling.

Definitely more social housing, of the type my grandparents had - garden to front and back, with decent large rooms on well-planned developments. Also, secure tenancies and some work to counter the “council estate” stigma that some people seem to have. Proper investment into those areas to keep them clean, tidy and well maintained.

Wrong thread, apologies.

I’m not saying I necessarily support military service, but I’m intrigued as to why you consider it to be ridiculous and unenforceable? Other countries do it, as did the UK at one time.

We were moving around the country first few years after uni for our careers changing jobs and getting experience - we needed the rental sector to do so.

Second homes do destroy communities - but there does need to be a distinction between landlords renting out other properties and empty for significant periods of time second homes. Landlords leaving the rental sector in some areas had increased already high rents in some areas.

Properly funded education system and subsidy for nursery care for working parents.
More social housing

Capped childcare costs - Europe manages to have very affordable childcare so why can't we
Nobody should be in a situation where they can’t afford to work. And it’s always the mother, which fuels discrimination and sexism. Once you’re out of the workforce it’s hard to get back in. And that’s another thing - more support for returning to the workforce. Currently if you’ve been a parent, carer, long term sick, etc, it’s incredibly hard to get back into work, and it shouldn’t be.

Disagree with this there is a place for rental properties still. For example if someone had to relocate somewhere for their job for a year, student accommodation, those who are in the process of buying but need somewhere to live.

Getting rid of second property ownership would destroy the rental market.

I'd stop house building and make sure every empty property is subject to a compulsory purchase order and handed over for social housing unless the owners can prove it's being renovated for occupancy. I'd also couple this with a policy of only brownfield sites being permitted for development and encourage developers to change disused office blocks into housing.

We have enough properties, but too many are vacant.

Where would you put them? The south east has become a concrete jungle due to mass building.

Reform the NHS How? What policies would you bring in - and not just "pump more money in/pay staff more wages"

Integrated, subsidised public transport. The knock-on effects - for the environment, businesses, employment, social connections - could be huge. It's nearly 20 years since I lived in London but the total uselessness of public transport in my area (South West) in comparison still makes me cross.

We need to get rid of the rape and bullying culture first. How many teenagers are we willing to sacrifice?
We'd need a body of research about the benefits of national service, I can't see it building empathy etc, which the average thug needs, not training in hand to hand combat, making bombs and schooled in fire arm use etc. Countries that do have it, it is only around a year. We'd have to build camps etc for this to happen, I'd rather have the money put into early intervention or education.

Lol. Not all unis offer the same opportunities…

More social housing, in particular 1 bedroom houses. I would happily downsize from my 2 bed HA home to a 1 bed house but there's no way I would go to a 1 bed flat.
Ensure that all employers have a % of employees over 50. Any employer failing to do so is fined. Ageism in the workplace needs to be tackled full-on IMO.

Election reform including

Proportional representation.

Banning all political party donations, parties can be funded via the state but, no more lobbying by stealth.

Make voting compulsory so that politicians stop focusing on helping one age group over another.

MP standards reform including

All MPs to have a minimum of 5-10 years work experience before being allowed to stand for elections.

Ministers cannot hold a post they are not qualified in e.g., to be an education secretary you must have worked in education for 10 years, same for health, transport, defence, etc.

All MPs must have lived in the constituency they represent for a minimum of 3 years, no more parachuting choice candidates to a safe seat.

All MPs to sign a legally binding contract of employemet which includes standards of behaviour, conflicts of interests and ethics, and hold them to it.

No second jobs while an MP (unless required by their profession). Happy to increase their salary if needed but no more lobbying by stealth.

I know someone has said it upthread but those of us who remember the Thatcher era remember that we had social housing - loads of it - but Thatcher wanted more Tory voters and she knew that home owners were more likely to vote for her so she sold it all off and prevented councils from building more. It was an unforgivable act of social vandalism 🤬.

I would love to see the idea of everyone making a contribution - I volunteer for 3 different charities in various guises (and work f/t), if every adult did 30 mins a week of something for others it would transform society (and our mental health).

I agree with the comments on social housing. We somehow need to remove the expectation that home ownership is the be all and end all. Providing good quality, maintained and attractive social housing at affordable cost - and remove the "right to buy" so these properties permanently remain as social housing.

Invest in mental health care. Funding is so currently lacking that patients with mental health issues (including addict) are putting such a huge strain on emergency services. Patients needs appropriate care and treatment - before they get to crisis stages.

The trouble is both these will require more than 4 years to reform and Parties are only interested in gaining votes for the next election - so any policy that will take longer than 4/5 years to see results are unlikely to be put into place.

Will you be providing childcare for the single parents then?

I'd stop house building and make sure every empty property is subject to a compulsory purchase order and handed over for social housing unless the owners can prove it's being renovated for occupancy.

I do agree we need to look at empty properties but I know DGP house stood empty for over 12 months because first there was a prolonged hospital stay then there was a chance they could come out of the care home and get home - and when that chance diminished they weren't ready to sell - it was a huge strain on my parents going over all the time to check on the place - and then finally getting it ready to sell.

God, just 2...

Better social housing

Compulsory 'use it if lose it (better paid) paternity leave' like they do in some Scandi countries would really help to address inequalities in attitudes to work, childcare responsibilities and division of labour in the household.