Housing must remain a priority, especially for those most vulnerable - Yorkshire Post Letters

As Autumn moves into Winter and the colder weather tightens its grip, concern grows for people living in substandard housing and those who have no home at all.

The homelessness charity Crisis is so exercised by difficulties of access to social housing that it is preparing to launch a fundraising appeal to buy its own housing stock, reminding us that homelessness includes not only sleeping in the streets, but people stuck in temporary accommodation such as B&Bs or hostels. Others may have been discharged from hospitals, prisons or other institutions.

Yet many people rent from private landlords, of whom there are over two million in England alone and, where the renters are in substandard accommodation or they fear for the security of their tenure, they now have reason to be hopeful.

Steadily making its way through Parliament over the past few months has been the Renters' Rights Bill, now enshrined in law, following opposition at every turn from the Conservatives.

Benefits of the Act include the abolition of 'no fault' evictions and the ending of the practice of landlords demanding large amounts of rents in advance.

The Decent Homes Standard will for the first time apply to the private sector and renters will be able to challenge dangerous conditions and, as there will be no unfair competition from those who rent out substandard properties, the new Act is good news for good landlords, of whom there are many.

This still leaves a rental area needing serious attention. The supply of council housing has shrunk drastically since the big sell-off introduced by the Thatcher government.

The countryside charity CPRE has revealed that only 20 percent of rural local authorities have set specific targets for social rent housing in their Local Plans.

Few local authorities may have the resources to emulate Brighton and Hove City Council by buying properties from private landlords as they fall vacant, but there is a sore need for councils to create their own stock of houses for rent and make them affordable.

Housing suitable for a growing population needs to be plentiful and varied. Would-be buyers need the price to be affordable. Renters need to be safe and secure. Homeless people need shelter. This is not an easy matter, as councils struggle with their own funding issues and often face opposition to their plans to build new housing.

As Winter approaches, housing must remain a priority, especially for those most vulnerable. Having a roof over one's head is a basic human need.