REGIONAL ASSEMBLY BACKS £360M SOUTH EAST HOUSING PRIORITIES

THE SOUTH EAST ENGLAND REGIONAL ASSEMBLY HAS AGREED HOW £360M OF HOUSING INVESTMENT SHOULD BE SPENT NEXT YEAR.

The new ‘single pot’ for housing is one feature of the new Regional Housing Strategy setting out the framework for how housing will be provided and funded across the South East in the next two years. As well as setting the priorities for Government’s capital investment in housing, the Strategy also focuses on:

• The need to increase the overall numbers of new homes in the South East. Regional Planning Guidance states that an average of 28,000 homes are to be provided each year. The most recent figures taken, 2001-2002, show there is currently an annual shortfall of approximately 3,000 homes.
  
  
• The importance of securing and increasing the supply of affordable housing across the region. Recent research has found that there are many people in the South East who cannot afford to buy an average priced terraced house on their earnings alone. Therefore there is a need to build affordable new homes in those areas that need them the most, including the rural areas.
  
  
• Improving the quality and lifespan of existing housing stock.
  
  
• Using new housing to help bring about regeneration and neighbourhood renewal in the South East’s towns and villages.
  
  
• Finding new and improved ways to house the homeless and those in need of supported housing.

Cllr Nick Skellett, Chair of the Regional Assembly said: "The Assembly has been pushing the Government for the last two years to give the South East the investment it needs to combat its shortages in affordable housing. This Housing Strategy is a step in the right direction but clearly more needs to be done. It will hopefully bring much needed financial support to local authorities with affordability and homelessness problems and will facilitate the regeneration of many of our region’s cities, towns and villages".

Despite endorsing the Strategy, the Assembly did, however, have concerns about the way the funding is to be allocated by the Government. While all other regions each have their own pot of money, the South East, London and East of England regions will share a single Government allocation or funds.

Cllr Skellett continued: "In effect we will need to compete with two other regions for much needed resources. This appears to us to be very unfair of the Government, particularly as these three regions suffer from some of the worst housing problems in the country. There are therefore no guarantees that the Government will release to the South East all of the £360m we need. "

The Strategy is the work of the Regional Housing Board which was established following the launch of the Government’s ‘Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future’ in February. In the South East, the Housing Board includes five members of the Regional Assembly as well as board members from English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation, SEEDA and GOSE. It will be submitted to Government today for their consideration.

Contact

Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive - 01483 555223

Alex Butlin, PR Executive - 01483 555221

Notes to editors:

1. The Regional Assembly is the “voluntary regional chamber” for the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
2. The Assembly is made up of 111 members including elected councillors nominated by the region’s local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations).
3. The Assembly has three areas of core business:
1. It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
2. The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
3. The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.

Last updated: 21 August 2007