Support for more social housing and affordable homes

9.55.17am GMT Thu 20th Mar 2008

Liz has backed party proposals on affordable homes

Liz Leffman, Prospective Liberal Democrat MP for Meon Valley, has backed her party's proposals to build 1.3 million new social homes in Britain over the next ten years. Her own research has shown that nearly 3,000 people are on housing waiting lists across Meon Valley.

The Liberal Democrats' plans aim to greatly reduce the waiting list for social housing which currently stands at over 1.6m across Britain - up nearly 60 per cent since 1997.

"I am in support of more social housing and affordable homes for people already living in our area, but it is vital we see the authorities responsible using common sense about new housing." Liz said.

"We certainly do not want to see 1,000 new houses built in villages such as Wickham and Bishops Waltham, as development is not needed and the infrastructure is not in place for these areas to be viable options for increased housing and larger communities. But we do need a reasonable number of affordable and social homes in these areas, so that young families who have grown up in the area but cannot afford to buy can find a decent place to live."

Liz added: "Both Conservative and Labour governments have let social housing fall to pieces and there are almost one million fewer social houses available now than during the last housing market crash.

"The Liberal Democrat proposals will help families into homes that they can afford in communities that are sustainable, which is essential to solve Britain's housing crisis."

Main proposals include:

• Invest all the proceeds from council house sales in building more social homes

• End the system of 'negative subsidy' where council tenants subsidise maintenance costs in other parts of the country

• Support Government-backed equity mortgages to help first time buyers get on the housing ladder

• Pilot Community Land Auctions to ensure that local people get the benefits of new development through improved

infrastructure