The Mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has told Housing 2021 that for levelling up to truly work, it must start in housing.

In a wide ranging speech, in which he spoke of the impact of Covid-19 on Greater Manchester, the private rented sector and social care, Burnham was keen to put housing at the centre of levelling up.

He said that the current government approach of giving bits of money to towns that it likes is not going to achieve levelling up.

“We need a major housing improvement programme across the country. That’s where levelling up starts for me, in homes.”

He stated that decarbonisation could “be the catalyst” for this programme and that the country should be taking advantage of “the opportunity in front of us” in retrofit.

Burnham also spoke at length on the importance of housing: “You cannot have good health without good housing. It is as simple as that.

“Housing is the cornerstone of life. You cannot have a good life without good housing. No one succeeds unless that home environment is right.”

He also called for housing to be made a human right in UK law and said there is a need to change the mindset on housing in England.

“We need to change the mindset when it comes to the market being able to fix everything. You cannot say it has delivered for housing, something different is needed.

“We need to go back to the post war mindset of proving social homes.”

The former MP also spoke of the need to have more regulation in the private rented sector, after stating that 40% of homes in the North West are not decent.

On what Labour can do on housing now, Burnham said there was a need to “offer an alternative” to the government’s position.