The Green Party is unlikely to win many votes from landlords after launching its manifesto ahead of a General Election later this year and the May 2nd local elections.

Its new document calls for ‘immediate’ rent controls in England and Wales as well as calling for the banning of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions.

All its policies in the document sit under the party’s ‘fairer, greener’ tagline including housing and it wants to see ten million homes better insulated and made greener, revealing that it would tax the UK’s 1% most wealthy individuals to pay for the scheme.

During last year’s local elections, the party made significant advances, gaining 241 councillors and taking majority control of a council – Mid-Suffolk – for the first time.

At a launch event, party co-leader Carla Denyer (main image) said: “I hear regularly from people who have been living in unacceptable conditions, crying out for secure homes or struggling to make ends meet because their rents are through the roof.

Fair deal

“We need a fair deal for the millions of people renting in the private sector.”

The party says it wants to beat its record number of councillors it current has (760 across 170 councils) during the local elections and is hoping to have more Green MPs – it currently has just one, Caroline Lucas in Brighton & Hove. She is stepping down at the next election after 14 years.

It is fielding four ‘headline’ prospective candidates at the next General Election in winnable seats although it has committed to have candidates in every seat in England and Wales.