news story

18th December 2006

LocaL MP Calls for More Affordable Homes for Local People

Steve Webb MP signing a brick calling on the Chancellor to make more affordable homes available to young people and families in South Gloucestershire

Northavon MP Steve Webb has sent an urgent message to the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, calling on him to ensure that more affordable houses are made available for young people and families in South Gloucestershire.

As part of a campaign by housing charity Shelter, the MP posted a red rubber brick to the Chancellor as a symbol of his support for the charity's call to ensure that more social rented homes are built for families in the greatest housing need. In the South West alone there are currently more than 110,000 homeless children trapped in temporary accommodation, robbing them of their health, education and a fair chance in life.

Shelter aims to send a total of 20,000 bricks to Gordon Brown to persuade him to fund an extra 20,000 social homes each year when he sets out his three-year spending plans next summer.

The campaign launch follows the publication by Shelter last week of new research to mark 40 years since its launch and the first broadcast of 'Cathy Come Home' showing that one in seven children in Britain - 1.6 million overall - is homeless or badly housed.

Commenting, Steve Webb MP said: "Spiralling prices and a chronic shortage of social homes means that many local residents are caught in a housing 'catch 22' through no fault of their own. With thousands of new houses being forced upon our area, Gordon Brown has to make sure that a good proportion of them are affordable homes for local people, when he sets out his spending plans next year."

Adam Sampson, chief executive of Shelter, said: "Four decades after Cathy Come Home, many ordinary families still struggle to find a safe and decent home. In 1966 the Government built 142,000 new social homes - last year we managed just 18,000.

"The critical shortage of affordable housing is robbing children in our region and across the country of a decent health, education and future chances.

"Shelter is calling on MPs and the people of South Gloucestershire to sign a Shelter brick and challenge Gordon Brown to fund much-needed extra social homes for families in need."

Local residents can sign a virtual red Shelter brick at www.shelter.org.uk/wallofshame

Notes to editors:

In June 2006 the Communities and Local Government Select Committee endorsed Shelter's campaign for an extra 20,000 social rented homes to be built each year above existing commitments. In his 2005 Pre-Budget Report the Chancellor acknowledged that new social housing must be a priority in next summer's Comprehensive Spending Review (2007).