A major conference in June will give housing professionals the chance to understand Labour housing policy following Ed Miliband's commitment to make housing one of the five priorities in the party's manifesto.

In his speech at the Royal Festival Hall, Mr Miliband said that his generation of politicians must act or people will be waiting until their 40s before they buy their own home. He reiterated his party's commitment to extending the bank bonus for another year and using part of it to build homes, and said that he was seeking to stop the "inexorable rise in the average age of home ownership".

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Abigail Davies, Assistant Director of Policy and Practice at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) said: "We are pleased to see Ed Miliband's commitment to putting housing at the centre of Labour party thinking. We need new solutions to old and new problems – and we would like to see the party's policy review cast its net wide. Whatever happens in the next Westminster election, we need all parties to have a good understanding and vision for the whole of the housing market, especially concerning finance and access to housing for everyone.

"CIH is helping the sector to have its say in shaping debates and views on housing and both Alison Seabeck, Shadow Housing Minister, and Grant Shapps, Housing Minister, will address delegates at Housing 2011, CIH's annual conference at Harrogate in June."

(CD)