Press release
This week five
new council houses in Shoeburyness will be occupied by local families,
due to the work done by Labour councillors in administration over the last
couple of years. This will provide better quality, more affordable housing in
Southend, all the homes have been built according to Communities Agency (HCA)
space standards, and to Lifetime Homes specification.
Under the joint
administration formed in 2014, the Southend Labour Party launched a £3 million
scheme to construct between 13 and 27 council homes.
With house
prices up 14% on last year, it is essential the current Conservative
administration continue to implement the Labour Party’s flagship scheme in
Southend.
Cllr Ian
Gilbert, Leader of the Labour Group, says: "The government is making
it harder at every turn for local councils to build council housing. We
recognise that these new homes are a drop in the ocean compared to what is
needed, yet this is still five more local families who will have decent place
to live. It shows that even in a brief spell in administration we can get
things done."
With Theresa May
refusing to provide a clear national direction for solving the housing crisis,
Councillor David Norman and colleagues within Southend Labour have worked
tirelessly to guarantee Southend resident’s affordable housing. National
Tory policy fails to provide more social housing, better private rental
regulation or the construction of more council housing. Ultimately, this left
many people unable to gain a foothold on the first rung of the property ladder.
According to
data collected by the charity Shelter, Southend had in 2013 5,676 people on
housing waiting lists. The Conservative administration must accept their
responsibility to rapidly expand this program in order to assist these
residents.
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