Dudley MP slams affordable housing figures (From Dudley News)

Dudley MP slams affordable housing figures

2:20pm Friday 15th June 2012 in News

DUDLEY North MP Ian Austin has slammed new figures which have revealed the number of affordable housing in the borough has fallen by 70 per cent.

Building work began on just 72 new homes last year, compared to 240 in 2010.

With official projections showing households in the West Midlands are expected to increase by around 18,000 per annum up to 2030, the MP is calling on the Government to take action.

Ian Austin MP said: “The Government is failing families in Dudley who are in desperate need of a home. We have a growing housing crisis and the Government’s policies are making it worse. “I want to see the Government take action by repeating the bankers’ bonus tax to fund 25,000 new affordable homes while proposing a one year cut in VAT on home improvements, repairs and maintenance to help homeowners, small businesses and create much needed jobs and apprenticeships.

“The £4 billion cut to the affordable housing budget not only led to a disastrous collapse in affordable house building over the past year but hit the construction and house building industries hard, helping tip us back into double-dip recession.”