Government not being decent over Decent Homes scheme
Today I was made aware of some very appalling statistics regarding homes of a decent standard, or not as the case may be, in Enfield. The borough has a total of 11,357 homes in its social housing stock. This isn't a great deal and explains why so many people are desperately waiting for affordable housing. Of those homes, over half - 5,741 - are considered to be substandard.
Of all the local authorities across England, only 13 of them have more dwellings at a non-decent standard than Enfield, and, of those 13, eight have a considerably larger housing stock than Enfield's, so the proportion of the total at a non-decent standard is much lower than Enfield's. It really is shocking that so many people locally have to live in substandard properties.
Back when Labour were in Government, they came up with the Decent Homes initiative. It was a straightforward scheme which provided funding to local authorities to repair and renovate their housing stock, including installing new windows, heating, kitchens and bathrooms, so that all social homes were brought up to what was deemed to be a "decent" standard.
Last year Enfield was allocated £137 million by the Labour Government as part of this programme to invest in its housing stock. Almost half of the housing was made decent. However, the new Conservative/LibDem Government is threatening to axe the Decent Homes scheme meaning that we would be left with two-tier council estates in our community.
It is galling to know that because the previous Conservative administration at Enfield Council took so long to establish Enfield Homes and bring it up to a standard necessary to be allocated the Decent Homes funding, we are severely behind in the number of homes we have in the borough that have been adequately improved. It adds insult to injury to those tenants waiting for improvements that might never come if the Conservative/LibDem Government stops the funding, that they are left in non-decent homes whilst their neighbours' homes have been renovated.
Once again, funding cuts like these would have knock-on effects to the building industry in the same way that the Building Schools for the Future cuts have had and will continue to have. The Government estimates that 17 jobs per year are supported by each £1 million of Decent Homes investment. This means that a few thousand building jobs would be at stake locally alone as a result of any cuts to the future of the programme.
I have called on Housing Minister Grant Shapps to stop playing games with people's futures and to release the funds to bring all the social homes in Edmonton and across the whole of Enfield up to a decent standard sooner rather than later. It is not a big ask really to live in accommodation that is of a decent standard. On this issue certainly the Government must do the decent thing.
Of all the local authorities across England, only 13 of them have more dwellings at a non-decent standard than Enfield, and, of those 13, eight have a considerably larger housing stock than Enfield's, so the proportion of the total at a non-decent standard is much lower than Enfield's. It really is shocking that so many people locally have to live in substandard properties.
Back when Labour were in Government, they came up with the Decent Homes initiative. It was a straightforward scheme which provided funding to local authorities to repair and renovate their housing stock, including installing new windows, heating, kitchens and bathrooms, so that all social homes were brought up to what was deemed to be a "decent" standard.
Last year Enfield was allocated £137 million by the Labour Government as part of this programme to invest in its housing stock. Almost half of the housing was made decent. However, the new Conservative/LibDem Government is threatening to axe the Decent Homes scheme meaning that we would be left with two-tier council estates in our community.
It is galling to know that because the previous Conservative administration at Enfield Council took so long to establish Enfield Homes and bring it up to a standard necessary to be allocated the Decent Homes funding, we are severely behind in the number of homes we have in the borough that have been adequately improved. It adds insult to injury to those tenants waiting for improvements that might never come if the Conservative/LibDem Government stops the funding, that they are left in non-decent homes whilst their neighbours' homes have been renovated.
Once again, funding cuts like these would have knock-on effects to the building industry in the same way that the Building Schools for the Future cuts have had and will continue to have. The Government estimates that 17 jobs per year are supported by each £1 million of Decent Homes investment. This means that a few thousand building jobs would be at stake locally alone as a result of any cuts to the future of the programme.
I have called on Housing Minister Grant Shapps to stop playing games with people's futures and to release the funds to bring all the social homes in Edmonton and across the whole of Enfield up to a decent standard sooner rather than later. It is not a big ask really to live in accommodation that is of a decent standard. On this issue certainly the Government must do the decent thing.