article_snippet.sent: Ed Miliband lurched further to the Left yesterday with a land grab to extend state control over the property market.
article_snippet.sent: Ed Miliband wants to bring in 'use it or lose it' powers allowing councils to encourage building by putting up taxes on undeveloped land.
article_snippet.sent: Pointing the way: Mr Miliband wants to bring in 'use it or lose it' powers for councils .
article_snippet.sent: Pointing the way: Mr Miliband plan to link rents to inflation under new, three-year contracts came under fire too.
article_snippet.sent: Alan Ward, of the Residential Landlords Association, said Margaret Thatcher's abolition of rent controls in 1988 had doubled the number of homes on the housing market. '
article_snippet.sent: In Labour's package, Mr Miliband also said Mr Miliband wanted to 'restore the dream of home ownership' by giving first-time buyers a stamp duty holiday on homes up to £300,000 in value.
article_snippet.sent: Mr Miliband said up to half of new homes would be earmarked for local residents trying to get a foot on the property ladder, while higher taxes would be imposed on foreign buyers.
article_snippet.sent: Mr Miliband housing announcements are an attempt to regain the initiative after the Tories unveiled a popular policy two weeks ago to extend the right to buy to all tenants of housing associations.
article_snippet.sent: Mr Miliband said housing would be a late addition on Mr Miliband party's election pledge card – increasing the number of pledges from five to six.
article_snippet.sent: Naomi Heaton, of London Central Portfolio, an asset management company, said Mr Miliband housing policy was 'a load of old cobblers'.
article_snippet.sent: This is what Mr Miliband's housing policy would save – not £5,000.'
article_snippet.sent: Mr Miliband said housing would be a late addition on Mr Miliband party's election pledge card – increasing the number of pledges from five to six .
article_snippet.sent: Mr Miliband dismissed the backlash, saying: 'we proposals will be better for home owners in Britain and for companies building homes in Britain. '