Liberal Democrats in West Oxfordshire have welcomed plans to boost affordable housing and avoid home repossession. The plans, launched by the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable MP and Shadow Housing Minister Sarah Teather MP, include:
* providing refurbishment loans for owners of empty homes if the homes are leased to housing associations,
* boosting the amount of private housing for rent including using empty commercial property temporarily as housing,
* bringing in a new type of secure mortgage to help boost lending to house buyers,
* letting councils and housing associations buy up unsold private houses and allowing them access to funds to bring them homes up to social housing standards,
* making sure the courts allow repossession only as a last resort.
Many people in our area are struggling to get their own home or are facing repossession because of the recession. We must do all we can to help residents through these bad times. Many homes built recently lie empty, often because the banks are not lending to people who want to buy them, yet many people need a place to live. We want to unblock the system and our plans will help to do that.
Giving housing associations and councils the opportunity to buy up empty homes that builders cannot sell will mean hundreds of local families will be able to rent a place of their own. Many privately owned homes stand empty so leasing them to housing associations means people can move into homes that would otherwise remain unused.
And making sure that the courts only allow homes to be repossessed as an absolute last resort will save many families in West Oxfordshire from the terrible situation of having their home taken away from them.
Showing posts with label HOUSING. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HOUSING. Show all posts
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Thursday, 31 July 2008
WITNEY LIB DEMS WELCOME RURAL HOUSING REPORT
Witney Liberal Democrats have welcomed a new report setting out how more can be done to provide affordable homes and a vibrant economy in the English countryside.
The report, ‘Living Working Countryside’, was commissioned by the Government and produced by Liberal Democrat MP Matthew Taylor, who has been a prominent campaigner on rural housing issues for many years.
There is a real shortage of affordable housing across the country, but the shortage is at its worst in rural areas like West Oxfordshire. Houses in rural areas are more expensive than in bigger towns and cities but average salaries are lower. This means it is particularly difficult for first-time buyers to get their foot on the first rung of the housing ladder here. Young local families are being priced out of their own communities.
There is a real problem with second homes dominating some parts of the country. We should look at requiring planning permission for second homes in areas where this is a particular problem.
The Taylor Review is right to look at how we can create more jobs in rural areas. Without jobs more and more of our countryside will become a zone of just second homes and retirement cottages. Small businesses should be encouraged in the countryside and we should make the planning system more flexible to enable this - particularly when it comes to work-based extensions to homes. The report is also right to propose that housing associations should end their ban on people setting up home-based businesses in their properties.
There is a lot more the Government could do to deliver more affordable rural housing. Unused land owned by the Government and other public sector bodies should be used for building affordable housing. And we need much more action from the Government to bring empty homes back into use.
This is an important report. But there has been no shortage of excellent reports on housing issues over the last few years. What we need now is government action.
The report, ‘Living Working Countryside’, was commissioned by the Government and produced by Liberal Democrat MP Matthew Taylor, who has been a prominent campaigner on rural housing issues for many years.
There is a real shortage of affordable housing across the country, but the shortage is at its worst in rural areas like West Oxfordshire. Houses in rural areas are more expensive than in bigger towns and cities but average salaries are lower. This means it is particularly difficult for first-time buyers to get their foot on the first rung of the housing ladder here. Young local families are being priced out of their own communities.
There is a real problem with second homes dominating some parts of the country. We should look at requiring planning permission for second homes in areas where this is a particular problem.
The Taylor Review is right to look at how we can create more jobs in rural areas. Without jobs more and more of our countryside will become a zone of just second homes and retirement cottages. Small businesses should be encouraged in the countryside and we should make the planning system more flexible to enable this - particularly when it comes to work-based extensions to homes. The report is also right to propose that housing associations should end their ban on people setting up home-based businesses in their properties.
There is a lot more the Government could do to deliver more affordable rural housing. Unused land owned by the Government and other public sector bodies should be used for building affordable housing. And we need much more action from the Government to bring empty homes back into use.
This is an important report. But there has been no shortage of excellent reports on housing issues over the last few years. What we need now is government action.
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