Stockport MP Navendu Mishra told parliamentary colleagues taking part in the debate on 19 April that SHG was ‘so much more than a social housing provider’.

He talked about the ALMO’s housing-plus work that helped tenants struggling with poor mental health or finding better-paid work, and even with the basics of feeding their families.

“The organisation regularly goes above and beyond,” he said. ‘Take, for example, the work it does through its money advice team, which supported more than 2,000 customers to obtain additional income worth £7.2 million.

And yet, he added, when he talks to staff, they share the ‘utter despair that they feel, day in, day out’ about not being able to offer enough suitable housing to the people who come through their doors.

There are 7,000 households on Stockport’s waiting list, and there has been a 30% increase in the number of homelessness inquiries from people renting privately. In the last month, he added, a single studio flat received 325 bids – meaning that 324 people missed out on one single-bed property, illustrating the high demand in his Stockport constituency for the most basic types of accommodation.

“The Government must understand, though, that without addressing the inadequate finances and the much-needed upgrades to a significant portion of the stock, Stockport Homes will continue to struggle,” said Mr Mishra.  

Read the full Hansard account of the debate here.