NHF commends govt for keeping housing promises.

Tuesday, 9 October 2007 12:00 AM

The National Housing Federation, which represents England's housing associations, has commended the Government for keeping its promise to invest £8bn in urgently needed social homes with today's Comprehensive Spending Review announcement.

The Spending Review confirms plans, set out in July's housing green paper, to deliver 180,000 new social homes over the next three financial years - at a rate of approximately 50,000 in 2008/09, 60,000 in 2009/10 and 70,000 in 2010/11.

These social homes will mainly be delivered by housing associations and will be included as part of the Government's target to build an extra 240,000 affordable homes per year, leading to three million new homes by 2020

David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: "With four million people on housing waiting lists in England alone, the lack of affordable housing is nothing short of a national crisis. Today the Government has taken a big step towards ending it.

"Gordon Brown has stated that affordable housing is one of the great causes of our time. Today's Spending Review announcement shows that he means business.

"Housing associations will match this public investment more than pound for pound with private finance and their own reserves to deliver the homes our country desperately needs."

ENDS

For further information contact:
Joe Dumont, joed@housing.org.uk, 020 7067 1028 / 07990 638946 Paul Rees, paulrees@housing.org.uk, 020 7067 1026 / 07974 826587

Notes to editors

The National Housing Federation represents 1300 independent, not-for-profit housing associations in England. Together, our members provide two million affordable homes for around five million people. www.housing.org.uk

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