THURROCK MP Jackie Doyle-Price has encouraged local authorities across the country, of all political persuasions, to start to address the shortfall of social housing.

Speaking on today's London Politics programme on the BBC, Ms Doyle-Price spoke on a number of topics including the current issues around women's rights, public order and policing following the death of Sarah Everard and the subsequent public outcry including arrests at a banned vigil last night (Saturday, 14 March) and also the perceived lack of support from the government for smaller businesses such as hairdressing, therapist treatments and the health, well-being and beauty industry.

She suggested that areas where women were at the heart of small and medium-sized businesses they were not getting enough support and even commented that male colleagues in the House of Commons had sniggered when she had raised the topic.

She was particularly keen to stress the need for all political parties to address the issues of a lack of housing, in the UK, particularly social and affordable housing and said it was something that tracked back through successive governments.

Praising the commitment of Thurrock Council's current Tory administration's commitment to build council houses, Ms Doyle-Price said: "I think the failing over the last few decades has been the failure to build enough homes of all types.

"Social housing is a part of that and I am very pleased that Conservative-led Thurrock Council has ambitions to build a thousand new council houses.

"We have all got to get on with this, it's been the biggest public policy failing over the last two decades and it is important every single public policy challenge we have comes back to housing.

"We need more affordable housing.

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"This shouldn't be a party political issue but by the nature of this debate it is becoming one but this is a public policy challenge for all of us and in respect for funding for local authorities, they can go and borrow money at good rates from the public works loan board to build these houses.

"I just say to all councils, of all colours, get on with it."