Housing is the single biggest issue in my postbag – and has been my big focus over the past few weeks.

Many people in Woking are unable to access the affordable the home they need, are struggling with damp, mould or repair problems, unhappy with their property management company - and, in the worst cases, are homeless.

That’s why I have spoken in debates about building safety, development and social housing. Here in Woking, we know better than most the disruption and uncertainty that these issues can cause.

There is planning permission for more than 2,000 homes in Woking town centre and the surrounding area – most of which were granted planning permission before the pandemic. None of these are under construction because the developers don’t see them as financially viable.

These developers are just sitting on the land, waiting for market conditions to change, but in doing so, they are preventing others from building on it. In the debate on grey belt, I pushed the Government to consider Liberal Democrat proposals to introduce “use it or lose it” powers for long-term empty sites.

In the social housing debate, I raised the fact that Woking has more than 180 families living in temporary accommodation. The council has been forced to house over 20 of these families outside of the borough due to a lack of appropriate properties in Woking.

People housed in temporary accommodation should be able to stay in their communities, and I'm pushing to ensure that councils expand their housing stock, so that they can do this.

Of the housing issues I have been working to address over the past couple of weeks, building safety is perhaps the most prominent for most Woking residents. The Victoria Square development – and specifically the Hilton Hotel – is the most obvious example.

However, it’s not the only large-scale building safety issue affecting Woking. In late 2023, over 100 residents were evacuated from the Eastgate building near Woking station after a report identified significant structural defects and stated it was unsafe.

Those residents still haven’t been able to return home – and any kind of resolution appears to have stalled. The building’s developer, Barratt Redrow, say it is now safe, but Southern Housing, which manages the building, say otherwise.

Both sides can’t be right in this situation and residents deserve to know what is going on. Last year, I convinced the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that independent testing was carried out.

That testing was completed months ago, so I have called on the Building Safety Minister to ensure the results are released and that responsibility is established. We must enable residents to return to their homes as soon as it is safe to do so.

Away from Westminster, I’ve been down in Brighton at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference, where again I focused a major part of my time on housing. I spoke on a National Housing Federation event panel and attended a round table on unlocking investment in social and affordable housing.

It was really useful to hear perspectives from other parts of the country on tackling the challenges with housebuilding, supply and quality. I will be taking these ideas forward as I work closely with both the Government and new West Surrey Council to address the challenges we face here in Woking.

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