Alan Beith backs Shelter's calls for more social housing

10.30.00am GMT Sat 25th Nov 2006

Local Lib Dem MP Alan Beith has added his name to a House of Commons motion calling on the Government to build an extra 20,000 social rented homes each year.

Alan Beith said

"The lack of affordable housing is one of the most common issues that people raise with me at surgeries and by contacting my office. We hear from people who have no-where to live, families facing serious over-crowding and people whose homes are unsuitable or run down.

"The local councils have a severe shortage of housing stock and we need to see more social housing being built. The restrictions imposed on Berwick and Alnwick preventing more than 70 new homes a year being built in each district is adding to the problem.

"I hope that Mr Blair's government will act on this issue and treat it with the urgency it deserves."

Alan Beith has signed EDM 153 Social Housing which reads as follows:

That this House welcomes the progress made in reducing the numbers of homeless people forced to sleep rough and the numbers of homeless families trapped in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation; welcomes the Government's more recent commitment to halve the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation by 2010 and to increase the proportion of family-sized homes being built for overcrowded families; notes that the Chancellor has acknowledged that new social housing must be a priority in next summer's Comprehensive Spending Review; notes that the Communities and Local Government Select Committee recently endorsed Shelter's campaign for an extra 20,000 social rented homes to be built each year above existing commitments; and calls on the Government to make a commitment to build these homes in order to make further progress to ensuring the objective of a decent home for all