Britain faces the biggest housing crisis in a generation with less than half the number of new homes we need being built. The Tory-led government refuses to do anything about it. Their record is shocking with house building now at the lowest level since the 1920s.

I’ve spoken to many young people in Wyre Forest who have all but given up on their dreams of ever owning their own homes. While the flexibility of renting may suit some, others have been forced into the private rented sector as the only available option.

But it’s not just young people who are affected; in England nine million people are living in rented homes today, over a million families, and over two million children.

Renters in Wyre Forest are now paying on average £564 a year more in rent than they did in 2010. They face rip-off charges by letting agents, unpredictable jumps in their rent and insecure tenancies.

These problems affect too many people. That’s why we need to take action to reform the private rented sector so tenants and landlords can both get a fair deal.

The next Labour government will change the law to make three-year tenancies the norm and protect against excessive rent increases to give tenants the stability they deserve.  And also take action to ban unfair letting agents’ fees for tenants, saving renters an average of £350 in costs.

The private rental market has changed and now the law has to as well. We won’t get the change we need under the Tories. Only Labour will improve the private rented sector to end the unfairness and make it work for working people in Wyre Forest.

Dr Matt Lamb Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate