Housing Minister John Healey today announced £3.6 million for 63 new council homes in Camden.  This funding is part of a £500 million national scheme to build more than 4,000 council homes across the country.

The homes, which will be built in Highgate, will all be highly energy efficient and contribute to the mixed make-up of local neighbourhoods.

Holborn & St Pancras MP, Frank Dobson, said:  “I’ve been pressing the Minister to invest in new council homes in Camden so I’m delighted with this decision.  New energy efficient homes to meet people’s needs are what we need.  It is also good for local jobs in the construction and building supplies industries, so it will help the economic recovery.  This investment is exactly what Cameron and Clegg say should be cut.”

“When I was the Labour Leader of the Council in the 1970s we bought up around 6,000 homes to ensure that people could have an affordable place to live.  But now the Lib Dems and Tories who run the Council are doing exactly the opposite and selling vacant properties to private developers.  Following today’s announcement I once again call on the Lib Dem / Tory coalition to halt the sale of council homes.  Otherwise they will be undermining Labour’s efforts to increase the number of council homes in Camden and reduce the borough’s colossal 18,000 long waiting list.  The Lib Dems seem to be more interested in playing estate agents than in looking after tenants’ needs.”

John Healy, the Minister for Housing, said:  “This year’s Government spending for affordable housing will be the largest for at least two decades.  More affordable homes for rent are needed in every part of the country.  We’re using the power of public investment to help economic growth by building the homes we need and creating jobs and skills for the future. And we must get the most for every taxpayer’s pound, so I am requiring all councils getting this government money to offer new jobs and apprenticeships to local people.

“Today’s announcement also signals a new style of council housing that adds to the mixed make-up of local neighbourhoods. Forty per cent of the homes being built will be three and four-bedroom family homes which are designed to high energy efficiency standards and will often be built alongside existing private housing.”

This entry was posted on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 9:01 pm and is filed under Housing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.