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Shapps tells housing association chiefs to 'get back in the real world'
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Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps has called on housing
association chief executives to 'get back in the real world' after
research showed that top salaries leapt by 7% despite the
recession.
Housing Associations are usually registered charities and are
largely funded by taxpayer money going in to build affordable
housing for rent.
Speaking at the National Housing Federation Conference in
Birmingham on Thursday Mr Shapps said: “Housing Associations
do great work helping to house some of the most vulnerable people
in our society, but the revelation that 10 bosses of these
registered housing charities earn far more than the Prime Minister
will shock families facing housing misery.
“In these tough economic times everyone has a responsibility
to show that public money is being wisely spent and I think that,
on reflection, these social Housing bosses will want to ask
themselves whether these big pay packets are justified in these
increasingly austere times.”
Mr Shapps highlighted the salary paid to Anchor Trust chief
executive John Belcher, who received £391,000 during 2008/09,
a 20% rise on the previous years.
"Despite this his charitable organisation made a trading loss and
has shut down six care homes in the last year," Mr Shapps
added.
