Politicians in the chamber described plans for affordable housing

Prague – The chairman of the Pirates, Zdeněk Hřib, described the pirate recipes for affordable housing during today's approval of the amendment to the housing support law. He occupied the podium for about 1.5 hours. Some models of affordable housing were then explained by ODS chairman Martin Kupka, who stated that the solution is not in greater regulation and socialist experiments. It is possible that the MPs will not reach a vote on the form of the bill today.

The government amendment anticipates a transfer of some powers related to helping people threatened by housing insecurity from municipalities to labor offices after a complete adjustment. Labor offices will now decide on applications for support measures.

"The government wants to eliminate affordable housing," said Hřib, who believes the amendment represents a stripped-down version of the law and ignores data and facts. The Pirate chairman pointed to the rising prices of real estate, stating that the situation is unsustainable. "A roof over our heads is fundamental; it is a basic human need," he said. He then extensively described the Pirate program in housing. "We have a plan, an action plan for solving the affordable housing crisis," said Hřib. "Thank you for all the noble advice on supporting affordable housing," reacted SPD MP Miroslav Ševčík to his speech.

"To solve the housing issue, we should not only pursue increasing regulation," said Kupka. According to him, it is becoming clear that if regulation is relaxed, economic activity will increase, which can contribute to the creation of a larger number of apartments. Kupka also advocated for changes in the budgetary allocation of taxes, which he believes could help the economic activities of municipalities. He thinks that municipalities should economically feel whether they will support the development of not just housing projects.

Hřib and Kupka spoke to the plenary by right of priority. Eight MPs voiced their intention to participate in the regular debate this morning but have not yet had their turn.

The bill on housing support originally only targeted assistance to people threatened by housing insecurity who have ties to the given region. The chamber is expected to omit this part. Access to counseling could thus be available to anyone, as currently stipulated by the law. The government amendment could also expand the number of counseling places from the original 115 to all 205 municipalities with extended competence after the complete adjustment.

Transferring some powers to the labor office is expected to eliminate duplicities, reduce administration, and speed up proceedings. The overall amendment will also allow labor offices, in necessary cases, to conduct investigations to determine the housing situation of the applicant and members of their household.