A new MP has used his first speech in Parliament to highlight the plight of renters in the city.

Chris Ward, who was elected MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven in July, gave his maiden speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday during the debate on the new Renters Rights Bill.

The bill proposes a raft of measures which will see the end of no fault evictions, put tenants in a stronger position to challenge unreasonable rent increases and place restrictions on landlords to ensure they can only raise rent once a year at the market rate.

In his address, the MP said housing issues dominate his case work and surgeries.

Read more: 'People are struggling' - housing is the biggest issue facing new MP

“Quite simply, housing is the single biggest issue in my Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven constituency,” he said.

“It makes up around two-thirds of the casework I receive, and it dominates my constituency surgeries.

“From overcrowding, typically mum, dad and three kids in a two-bedroom flat, to overpricing, with home ownership now beyond the reach of many, and landlords charging London prices in a city that doesn’t pay London wages.

“In Brighton there’s also a persistent problem of homelessness and temporary accommodation, especially in the western part of my constituency. At least 7,500 people are on council waiting lists and 1,600 households are in temporary accommodation. 50 per cent of those households are those with children.

“My constituency also has among the highest number of medium and high-rise tower blocks outside of London with many people trapped for years in unsafe and unsellable homes. So, you can see why I wanted to make maiden speech on this issue.”

Mr Ward said the bill is a step in the right direction with around one-quarter of homelessness applications in the city being the result of section 21 no fault evictions.

But he said there is “much more” to do to get a grip on the housing crisis.

“We need to build more homes, raise standards, deliver ambitious local plans, and – perhaps most importantly - change the culture of indifference that too often surrounds housing,” he said.

“A culture that has left too many people stuck in high price, low quality homes. This bill is a great start and I commend the secretary of state for her work on it.”