Thursday 20 October 2011

Coalition has no answers on housing

Two weeks ago we had the CEO and leader of Mendip District Council come to the Town Council and I asked them about their housing policies, I suggested that their housing strategy was not robust enough; pointing out that they had achieved their desired 74 affordable units for the year and this was a "pin prick" on dealing with MDC housing list.

Most indignant were they? Oh yes, they have a waiting list of over 3,000 and so it will take 50yrs before they can house the people on it and this discounts the annual addition needs.

Then we have the hapless Shapps, a modern comic. When asked about the National Housing Federation and Shelter report he was asked whether the report’s findings kept him awake at night, he responded: “I’d rather be judged by what real people experience in the real world and as Housing Minister my job is to look after all housing, not just social homes, which tends to be the focus of the likes of Shelter, CIH and the NHF

So there we have it, slightly concerning the minister is unconcerned about the National Housing Federation, Shelter and the Chartered Institute of Housing found he and the Coalition is falling short across a number of areas including ensuring sufficient housing supply, tackling homelessness and improving affordability in the private rented sector.

With unemployment rising and a need for growth a targeted home building scheme would help provide growth in the economy and tackle the areas of concern, the housing crisis should be treated as a top political priority to prevent an already desperate situation become even more grim for the millions of people in need of a home.

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