Everyone deserves a fit place to live. Increasing housebuilding is how we can get there

Editorial: The conditions that many renters face fall far below this. It is an issue the government has to face head-on

It is vital that the government build more houses (PA Wire)

It has been clear for some time that building houses is one of the key areas on which the government must focus.

The conditions that hundreds of thousands have to live in – revealed by The Independent – highlight how important it is to get a grip on this issue.

According to the latest analysis, around 615,000 rental properties contain what are known as Category 1 hazards – the kind that are deemed the most serious, with the potential to cause death or loss of limb. Add to this statistics that suggest that mould and damp problems are getting worse, and you have a cocktail of problems of which the government should be ashamed.