Affordable homes promise welcomed by Dundee LibDems (Dundee Liberal Democrats)

Dundee Liberal Democrats <info@dundeelibdems.org.uk>

Affordable homes promise welcomed by Dundee LibDems

June 14, 2007 11:09 AM

Sir Menzies Campbell, Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Affordable homes promise welcomed by Dundee LibDems

Dundee LibDems today (Thursday 14th June) welcomed news that the Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Menzies Campbell MP has unveiled proposals for building one million new socially rented, affordable and low cost homes by 2020.

Delivering the Chamberlain Lecture at a Joseph Rowntree Foundation conference in Birmingham, Menzies Campbell launched a withering attack on Labour's record on housing. He accused the Government of 'ghettoising' housing, leaving poor and vulnerable people living on large 'sink estates' which offered little hope or opportunity. He said it was a national disgrace that one million children still lived in overcrowded accommodation and 130,000 children lived in temporary housing.

Menzies Campbell said that innovative and imaginative solutions were needed to deliver this revolution.

Liberal Democrat proposals include:

• Building 100,000 new affordable, social and low cost homes each year

• Devolving and reforming the planning system to make decisions faster and more effective for all parties

• Introducing equity mortgages to ensure that affordable housing is built and maintained for the benefit of generations of buyers

• Building smaller social housing developments which are integrated with private housing

• Cutting VAT on housing renovations and repairs

Sir Menzies said, "By 2020 I want to see one million new socially rented, affordable and low cost homes.

"I want to ensure that the face of council housing is changed forever - replacing large estates with different housing types, and providing accommodation for a broad range of people rather than creating an enclave for the desperate.

"I am proposing the UK's most ambitious home-building programme in over a quarter of a century. 100,000 new social, low cost and affordable houses every year to benefit Britain's most vulnerable citizens."

Locally, here in Dundee, Liberal Democrat Councillor Helen Dick said, "I am delighted at Sir Menzies' pledge. There is a clear need for greater housing investment and this will be welcomed in Dundee and throughout the UK."