WALTHAM FOREST: Target set for more new social homes

4:29pm Friday 9th May 2008

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COUNCILLORS have vowed to tackle the housing crisis in the borough and to provide more affordable housing for taxpayers.

They have acknowledged that the housing needs of Waltham Forest cannot be underestimated and have committed to improving the number of "quality", "affordable" and "well designed" homes to prevent the shortage from worsening.

Cabinet member for communities and housing Cllr Marie Pye put forward a motion at full council inviting councillors to support the target of making 40 per cent of all new housing affordable or social, to be raised to 50 per cent over the next five years.

Cllr Pye told the chamber there are 11,500 people waiting for relocation, including disabled tenants in unsuitable accommodation, and large families crammed into small flats.

She said: "Housing is now top of the agenda. We have to take the lead on delivering housing.

"We need mixed communities were you cannot tell from the front door what they are, whether they are social housing, key workers, or bought themselves.

"We cannot risk the future of our residents in the borough."

Liberal Demotratic Cllr Farooq Qureshi drew on his own family's experience to highlight the issue: "There is a great shortage of housing in Waltham Forest and I should know because my own daughter lives in a small one-bedroom flat with three children. Even councillors cannot ring up to get housing for their family."

Targetting empty properties in the borough was highlighted as a priority, with Cllr Pye announcing that 800 empty homes have been brought back to the council.

Lib Dem and council deputy leader Keith Rayner suggested that greater effort be made to claim some 3,000 empty properties across the borough by issuing compulsory purchase orders and empty dwelling management orders to make use of existing resources.

Conservative Cllr Alan Siggers and Conservative leader Matt Davis opposed the targets of 40 and 50 per cent of affordable housing because, it was argued, that when such targets were set in other London boroughs such as Richmond, it was not reached because developers would not make enough profit.

Cllr Siggers said: "The 40 per cent has failed because people will not build them. People don't get into development for altruistic reasons, they do it to make money."

Cllr Pye's motion with the 40 per cent and 50 per cent targets was voted on and agreed by a majority.