Govt’s social housing record under attack
By Alex Stevenson
Opposition politicians have blamed the government after a report found councils are failing to focus on renovating social housing.
Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said renovating rather than demolishing run-down housing stock was worth considering after an Audit Commission report said there was too much emphasis on new builds.
The social housing waiting list has reached almost 1.8 million but tens of thousands of social homes lie empty, according to Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Sarah Teather.
The Audit Commission report, which called for a renovation of existing houses rather than building of new ones, came as government ministers gave the go-ahead for 2,000 new council houses across England.
The project is being described as the biggest of its kind for 20 years.
There will be 12 council housing projects in the Midlands, seven in the North West, six in London, six in Yorkshire and Humber, six in the South West, five in the North East, four in the South East and one in eastern England.
Today’s Audit Commission report found that at the heart of the problem lies pressure from central government. Ninety-four per cent of areas have prioritised new and/or affordable housing targets in their local area agreements.
This means they are neglecting opportunities to make the most of existing housing and flats in their area.
“In tougher times, it is all the more important that councils think strategically and creatively about housing and take their housing responsibilities seriously,” Audit Commission chairman Michael O’Higgins said.
“This report encourages councils to do that and has good examples of councils that have made a real difference to their residents without spending large sums of money.”
Social housing is an ever-worsening political headache for the government. The recession has seen the number of house repossessions rise to 24,100 in the first half of the year, more than twice the number in the whole of 2005.
Ms Teather said Labour had “let down low-income families”. She revealed that 30,000 social homes had been left empty for over six months earlier this summer.
“The Treasury has raided council tenants’ rent and the decent homes budget, denying councils the money they desperately need to improve local housing,” she added.
Mr Shapps focused his criticisms on the government’s tendency to prefer new builds.
“The government’s flawed Pathfinder scheme is forcing councils to let rip with the wrecking ball, razing Victorian terraces and wiping out a valuable part of our local heritage,” he commented.
“To tackle the record housing waiting lists under Labour, we need to build new homes, purchase empty private stock and refurbish our existing housing.”
