WELLINGTON MP, Gideon Amos, is calling for a legal target of 150,000 new social homes a year.

The MP, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for housing and communities, introduced a private members’ bill in Parliament.

Speaking ahead of the second reading of the government’s Social Housing Bill, he said it was “the missing half” of Ministers’ plans.

Mr Amos presented the bill as a complementary option to expand on the government’s current legislative framework.

The Liberal Democrats have warned that the Labour government’s approach “lacks the scale needed to solve the housing crisis or protect residents from climate change”.

Currently, the government is targeting 30,000 social and affordable homes per year through its £39bn grant programme, of which 60 percent should be for social rent.

The private members’ bill also seeks to embed “Heat Ready” standards into all new developments by mandating air-conditioning, alongside passive cooling measures such as expanded tree planting to prevent residential overheating.

Under the party’s “Sunshine Bill” currently making its way through Parliament, air conditioning would be powered by solar panels, making them a requirement on all new homes.

Gideon Amos MP said: “Our proposal provides the missing half: building 150,000 social homes a year, giving councils control over Right to Buy, and helping tenants build equity through their rent.

“Crucially, these homes must also be fit for the future, rather than built simply to hit quotas.

“By pairing mandatory solar panels with air-conditioning, we can keep homes cool and energy bills low as a changed climate becomes the norm.”

The New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill from 2024/25 was sponsored by Max Wilkinson of the Liberal Democrats.

The second reading of the Social Housing Bill’s second reading took place in Parliament on Thursday, September 10.