Housing shortage? Blame Thatcher (From The Northern Echo)
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Housing shortage? Blame Thatcher
8:00am Wednesday 8th June 2011 in News
By Robert Merrick, Parliamentary Correspondent
RIGHT-TO-BUY: Margaret Thatcher
THE loss of nearly 150,000 cheaper homes for rent across the region lies at the heart of its housing crisis, ministers were warned last night.
The number of council and housing association homes has plunged by 36 per cent in the 30 years since Margaret Thatcher introduced the right-to-buy policy figures have revealed.
Even that huge fall masked much bigger declines in parts of the North-East – particularly in County Durham (48.6 per cent), Stockton (36.7 per cent) and Redcar and Cleveland (34.5 per cent).
In total, there are now only 264,525 social housing properties across the North-East and North Yorkshire, down from nearly 415,000 back in 1981.
Meanwhile, waiting lists for housing have rocketed because, critics argue, the homes that were sold off have not been replaced.
The statistics were published as the Government ordered the sale of up to £10bn of publicly-owned land – around hospitals, schools, military bases and roads – to allow 100,000 homes to be built.
Whitehall departments and local councils will be required to identify surplus land, some of which will be sold under a build now, buy later deal, allowing cash-strapped developers to pay up once the homes are completed.
But Shelter, the charity for the homeless, questioned how many of the homes would be affordable for low-earners – given the need for the Treasury to maximise its profits from land sales.
Campbell Robb, its chief executive, said: “We have 1.8 million households on waiting lists, more and more families stuck in an insecure private rented sector and millions priced out of the housing market.
“A lack of affordable housing is the root cause. It is absolutely essential that local authorities start prioritising spending on housing delivery to meet need.”
Last week, young people were dubbed Generation Rent, because so many believed they would never be able to afford to get on the property ladder – making renting more likely.
Comments(20)
George BA
says...
11:03am Wed 8 Jun 11
You cant have your cake and eat it!who said that? we are all paying the price of our own greed.
Steve_2009
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11:16am Wed 8 Jun 11
CTRILEY
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11:17am Wed 8 Jun 11
In fact under New Labour they conned people into transferring Council Owned properties to the Housing Associations. Which are effectively private housing companies run by former Council officials.
George BA
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11:40am Wed 8 Jun 11
Maggie Thatcher hasn't been in power since the early nineties.
There has been a lot of house building under both Tories(John Major) and Labour(Blair Brown) just not of the 'social housing need' type which encourages peoples aspirations and leaves people like myself who have always lived in Terrace housing to pick up the pieces when 'investors' buy up cheap housing meant for low class of buyers, only to rent it back to them as social housing.
It certainly has nothing to do with praising one party and condeming the other.
Councils moved their housing stock over to housing associations because they didnt have the funds and were not eligible to apply for the grants that housing associations could apply for to meet decent housing standards improments.
George BA
says...
11:40am Wed 8 Jun 11
Maggie Thatcher hasn't been in power since the early nineties.
There has been a lot of house building under both Tories(John Major) and Labour(Blair Brown) just not of the 'social housing need' type which encourages peoples aspirations and leaves people like myself who have always lived in Terrace housing to pick up the pieces when 'investors' buy up cheap housing meant for low class of buyers, only to rent it back to them as social housing.
It certainly has nothing to do with praising one party and condeming the other.
Councils moved their housing stock over to housing associations because they didnt have the funds and were not eligible to apply for the grants that housing associations could apply for to meet decent housing standards improments.
CTRILEY
says...
12:18pm Wed 8 Jun 11
Whilst when people were asked if they wanted SBC housing stock transferred over to a Housing Association, I was informed by local Councillors that it was going to happen whether people wanted it or not, because the Gov. wanted it.
Now I attended a public meeting concerning the then proposed transfer and the spokesman, then the regenartaion manager for SBC, not only stated it would lead to Gov. money which would be used to provide new housing. But this new houses though owned by the Housing Assocation would be for sale at £180,000 min each.
Shortly afterwards it was revealed within Spennynews that the terms of transfer meant that the housing Association couldn't build on green belt land owned by the council, but they could build on brown belt land.
This not only means that the only land they can build on are the industrial estates.
On one former industrial estate a housing estate is already being built, with another planned for Merrington Lane. But when that land was sold for housing development, firms located their have had no choice but relocate taking jobs with them. Those which are still there, remain so because of the credit crunch stopping construction work there.
Whilst this diverts from the main point, but my point is that not only did the previous Gov. make no effort to change the laws relating to housing, but public money has been used to support the private housing sector at the expense of jobs.
Freshstep Drive
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12:25pm Wed 8 Jun 11
MrMorden
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1:19pm Wed 8 Jun 11
Shocking people wanting to own their own home, whatever next.....
Dean M
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1:34pm Wed 8 Jun 11
Steve_2009 wrote:Spot on. Many of our low-skilled jobs are taken by immigrants, so these people are more likely to need social housing.
You conveniently omit the fact that Labour were in government for 13 years, how many new houses did they build? NONE!!. Perhaps the housing shortage has something to do with the 3.5 million immigrants Labour allowed into the country without consulting the British people. Do these people not require housing? And why did your beloved Labour Party not recind the right to buy if you and your ilk find it so morally reprehensible?
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These Labour luvvies won't look at themselves though; it's much more convenient to try and blame Mrs T for anything, everything and forever.
tomtopper
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1:52pm Wed 8 Jun 11
BMD
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10:49pm Thu 9 Jun 11
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If the immigration flood gates had not been burst wide open by Labour, the social housing, youth unemployment and the national welfare benefit payments would be much less of a burden.
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How many single mothers are receiving housing benefit at the expense of the taxpayer? When surely it is the responsibility of the single mothers own parents and family to provide support.
CTRILEY
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9:44am Fri 10 Jun 11
How many single mothers were made so because of divorce, or as the result of death through illness, accident or fighting overseas wars?
Lifetime Townie
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4:47pm Fri 10 Jun 11
BMD
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7:32pm Fri 10 Jun 11
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But how many are fresh out of school or plan to be a single parents so they can live on benefits and handouts?
spragger
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8:41pm Fri 10 Jun 11
Im sure all those Council House tenants who had the rare choice to purchase a house they had already spent a lot of money on will agree with him.
As is said Labour built NO social housing in their 13 long years.
An explosion of single folk looking for accomodation has caused a housing problem but is it the families problem, or the taxpayers?
CTRILEY
says...
8:50am Sat 11 Jun 11
BMD wrote:I don't know, but the point of my comment is that it's wrong to assume that all single mothers became so in order to live on benefits and handouts.
CTRILEY Comments:- "How many single mothers were made so because of divorce, or as the result of death through illness, accident or fighting overseas wars?" . But how many are fresh out of school or plan to be a single parents so they can live on benefits and handouts?
Well hello
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1:28pm Sat 11 Jun 11
There appears to actually be a surplus of homes, flats, sheltered accommodation etc. in the county, as many properties don't receive any bids.
I have noticed that in East Durham, people seem not to be as fussy & most properties seem to receive bids, yet in eg. central and more southern areas of the county, many flats remain vacant, as people seek out better area's.
In my opinion County Durham hasn't got a shortage of housing , it actually has a glut housing, if the 'Durham Key Options' web-site paints a true picture?
CTRILEY
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2:31pm Sat 11 Jun 11
I recall hearing a year ago or so that either Hartlepool or Redcar have housing estates which are practically empty.
tomtopper
says...
11:48pm Sat 11 Jun 11
Copley23 says...
8:14am Wed 8 Jun 11