THE Tories plan to sell off housing association properties shows that they are out of touch. Selling off good quality rented houses will not help the 5,000 people on Herefordshire’s housing waiting list.

The next Labour Government will enable councils and housing associations to build houses for rent. We will scrap the bedroom tax that has caused such misery to disabled people and their carers’.

Private renters will get a fairer deal by being offered three-year tenancies with a limit on annual rent increases. If rural communities agree plans to build more homes, Labour will legislate to give local people priority: young families should be able to live in villages.

Labour will ensure that homes are built to high environmental standards, will protect the Green Belt and stop building on flood plains. We have pledged to insulate five million homes to reduce energy bills and eradicate fuel poverty.

The previous Labour Government made us the first country in the world to agree legally binding carbon reduction targets in its Climate Change Act. The next Labour Government will set a target to decarbonise our electricity supply by 2030 and increase the powers of the Green Investment Bank to support green businesses.

Passion and idealism matter, but it’s the ability to win power and deliver progressive change that improves people’s lives. That’s the difference between Labour and other parties.

The Lib Dems have supported Tory austerity policies. The Greens have no experience. Labour governments have changed Britain for the better, from creating the NHS and Sure Start to legislating for equal pay, the minimum wage and civil partnerships.

If you want a Government that is serious about tackling the housing crisis and climate change; committed to the NHS and will invest in children and young people, vote Labour.