Local Authority Bribes Won't Solve Housing Crisis

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 14th Sep 2007

Responding to the Government's announcement of a £500 million incentive for councils to build more homes Paul Holmes MP said:

"Yet more bribery and micromanagement of local authorities won't solve the housing crisis.

"The Government has taken the same approach over the last decade, leaving us in the mess we're in now.

"Whitehall targets have stopped those areas that want to build more houses, and forced others to build on greenfield sites they would rather protect.

"We need a new system which gives councils the funding and freedom to provide affordable homes according to local needs not central diktat.

"If the Government was serious about providing genuinely affordable housing, they would hand over brownfield sites on public land to community land trusts and invest more money in promoting equity mortgage schemes. These measures would provide homes people could afford, and which would remain affordable in the long term."