WIREDGOV

Cllr David Renard, LGA housing spokesman responds to figures from Shelter showing around 84,000 fewer homes could be delivered in England this year due to the impact of coronavirus.

“Housing must be a central part of the national recovery from coronavirus. Now is the time for a genuine renaissance in council house-building that reduces homelessness, gets rough sleepers off the streets for good, supports people’s wellbeing and is climate-friendly.

“Giving councils the powers and tools to deliver a programme of 100,000 social homes a year would not only meet a third of the Government’s annual house-building target, but it would generate a range of social and economic benefits, including reducing the housing benefit bill and alleviating pressures on health and social care that result from poor housing conditions.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

The LGA’s new housing report Delivery of Council Housing – Developing a Stimulus Package Post-Pandemic