Government acts to provide affordable housing
Published: 24-Jul-2007
The government has pledged £8 billion of investment funding to try and tackle the shortage of affordable housing in the UK.
Announcing a new Green Paper, housing minister Yvette Cooper unveiled the policies yesterday (July 23rd).
As part of the plan, the government will seek to build at least 70,000 affordable houses a year by 2010-11.
On top of the housing funding, the government will make £300 million available to help support new builds with more transport infrastructure.
"Every part of the country needs more affordable homes - in the north and the south, in urban and rural communities," explained Ms Cooper.
"We need more homes - but we need better designed, more sustainable homes.
"This is a green Green Paper, responding to the challenges of climate change, with zero carbon homes and new eco towns, and with tough planning rules on building in flood-risk areas."
Recently, Hometrack said that private landlordshad an important role to fulfil in helping to provide affordable accommodation in the UK.
Richard Donnell, the director of research at the firm, explained: "Our analysis shows that the private rented market we have today has simply become an extension of the affordable housing sector."
