Brown hints at social housing investment boost 'in the coming months'

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Housing

New measures to provide more social housing could be announced in the coming months, Gordon Brown hinted today.

The Prime Minister said his Government was "prepared to take even more decisions" to increase the supply of social housing on top of steps already in place to help people deal with the recession.

His comments came after he was challenged on housing policy by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg.

During Prime Minister's question time, Mr Clegg said 1.8 million families were waiting to be housed and that just 20 new homes had been started since the Government announced a major building programme in January.

He called on Mr Brown to stop the Treasury "grabbing" money from council rents and sales and allow local authorities to build new homes.

Mr Clegg said: "Everyone who has been out on the campaign trail over the last few weeks knows how angry and frustrated people have become at the way that this Government always raises people's hopes only to see them disappointed again and again.

"In no way is that truer that in housing, where we have had more announcements than new homes.

"Since January when you announced the biggest council house building programme in decades, only 20 new homes have been started.

"So will you, for once, just for once, make a promise and actually deliver."

Mr Brown said there were one million more people in homes than in 1997 and that housing had been improved for a further million people.

More than £29 billion had been invested in social housing, he said, which was set to reach £40 billion by 2010.

"I don't accept your figures," the Prime Minister told Mr Clegg.

"What has happened since January is that we have brought in place measures first of all to protect people in their own homes so the expected rate of mortgage repossessions has not happened, and mortgage repossessions are roughly as they were a few months ago.

"Equally at the same time we are bringing in a programme for social housing, to invest more in social housing over the next few months and over the next few years.

"And I have to tell you - we are prepared to take even more decisions to make available more social housing over the next few months."

Such new measures would only be possible because the Government was prepared to invest during the recession, Mr Brown argued, calling on the Liberal Democrats to support the higher spending.

Mr Brown added: "We are not complacent, and that's why we are planning to invest more this year."