Liberal Democrats Set Out Plans To Build A Million New Affordable Homes By 2020

9.23.36pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 9th Jul 2007

The Liberal Democrats have set out plans to build a million new affordable homes by 2020

Cllr David Morson has welcomed the publication of radical proposals by the Liberal Democrats to tackle the severe shortage of affordable and social housing.

David said: "There are 1,208 people on Uttlesford District Council's waiting lists, yet fewer and fewer social rented homes are being built. The number nationally has halved since Labour came to power.

"Meanwhile houses to buy are getting ever less affordable. House prices here in Uttlesford have grown by 2.8% in 2006 while earnings have only grown by 2.4%. An average house now costs nearly NINE times average earnings in our area. There's no way most young people, even many young couples, can afford that. Many local young people are being left stranded, unable to afford to get even a foot on the housing ladder as prices soar further and further out of their reach.

"These new proposals from the Liberal Democrats response to both these problems. They would deliver the UK's most ambitious home-building programme in over a quarter of a century. 100,000 new social, low cost and affordable houses every year for 10 years to benefit those in housing need.

"This is the housing revolution that people in Uttlesford desperately need."