Last week I gave my Maiden Speech in Parliament. With a record new intake of MPs it is taking some time for everyone to get to speak, but with Wednesday being the first debate on housing, I ensured that I would have the opportunity to give my first speech, focusing on the story of Crawley as a New Town and the vital role New Towns have to play in resolving the housing crisis we now face.

As it happened, Wednesday was also the date that the new Government unveiled their plan for improving conditions in the private rented sector. After four decades of building insufficient housing and the loss of most of our council housing, both social housing and home ownership are increasingly out of reach for those now needing a home, with the private rented sector picking up the slack.

For those aged 16 to 34, private rented housing it is now the dominant housing sector, with average rents in England now exceeding £15,500. Our housing system was never designed for private rentals to play such a significant role and unfortunately the law has failed to keep pace, allowing discrimination, poor housing conditions, and insecurity of tenure and rent to undermine families’ quality of life.

Despite the repeated promises of the last government, they failed to act to address these problems, but all of that is to change with Labour introducing a Renters’ Charter in our first year of office. This legislation will end Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, providing tenants with security. It will prevent rental bidding wards by requiring adverts to include an asking rent which landlords must accept. It will increase protections against unreasonable rent increases. It will also end discrimination against those with children and pets, and require the Decent Homes Standard across the private rental sector.

As a country we need to do more to enable people to access secure council housing tenancies and home ownership, but until that happens, the Renters’ Charter will finally give private renters the rights and protections they need to feel safe and comfortable in the home they’re paying for.

Peter Lamb MP