Affordable homes

I am not sure where this figure came from as it is very clear in the Government’s spending proposals for this Parliament that while they have allocated £8 billion to fund housing schemes, half that money will go to starter homes giving people a discount from taxpayers’ money of up to £50,000 outside London and £90,000 in London and most of the rest goes on shared ownership schemes.

There is, in fact, absolutely no money whatever in the Government’s spending plans until 2020 for the building of council housing or housing association homes to rent. I believe this is an intolerable situation given the fact that many people cannot afford to buy a home and are now forced into the increasingly expensive private rented sector or have incredibly long waits to rent a home from the council or housing associations.

Let us put the pressure on the Government to change its policy. I only wish there was money for the 100,000 homes to rent that Mick Ibbotson refers to.

Clive Betts

MP for Sheffield South East