Build More Social Housing
The Local Government Association has said that the need for council and social housing will increase with the credit crunch. One million more people could be on the waiting list for council homes throughout the UK. This is the time the Government could begin releasing funds to invest in more social housing. At its meeting on 17th March 2008 the Cabinet Member considered options for building new council housing. Link to Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods Report is here (pdf file). Local Government Association press release here.
Rother Fed is presently awaiting some public consultation on RMBC's greatly altered Housing Strategy. The two key issues for Rother Fed remain the needs for:
- Social housing to be driven up the housing agenda
- Greater openness and transparency in decision making processes, consultation processes are often perceived by our members to be inaccessible, with the perception that outcomes of consultations bear little resemblance to opinions given
Rother Fed Briefing on Draft Housing Strategy here (pdf file).
"As a local councillor, of the hundreds of surgery matters I deal with each year, council housing (or the lack of it) is at the top of the list by a huge margin. Rotherham has 22,000 council houses and over 19,000 people on the waiting lists. Every time a three bedroom house becomes available there are hundreds of applications. In these circumstances, it is easy for the peddlers of hate to suggest that your council house is being given to someone "less deserving". It isn't - its simply not being given to anyone, as there aren't any available. If Labour ministers are honest about a willingness to re-engage with our core vote then my suggestion is simple: build some council houses, and not a few hundred. Britain needs 3 million new dwellings by 2020; 1 million of these should be council houses"
Cllr Neil License
Extract from headline letter to Guardian 3rd May 2008
Welcoming Cllr License's comments, Rotherham Federation of Tenants and Residents will continue to be for both:
- Social housing We value the important role of social housing within Rotherham and will campaign for its support and development.
- Including Everyone We are for including everyone in everything we do and fighting discrimination in all our activities.