Two key questions remain unanswered in Government's plans to increase affordable housing, says the South East England Regional Assembly.

• Will Gordon Brown's planned 20% increase in homebuilding affect prices?
  
  
• Where is the investment that will subsidise more affordable homes and the transport, schools and hospitals that these new homes will need?

Cllr Keith Mitchell, Chairman of the South East England Regional Assembly, said:

“In the South East we've already seen a 30% increase in housebuilding over the past five years - but prices are still rising. Making homes affordable needs more than extra building, it needs Government investment in supporting people to buy or rent a decent home.

“The affordability crisis in the South East is a public investment crisis. Gordon Brown needs to make infrastructure and social housing top priorities if this region is to continue to contribute both to the UK's economic success and to Treasury coffers,” he added.

“Extra homes will need serious investment to ensure the South East does not grind to a halt when transport, schools and hospitals can no longer cope.”

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. On Wednesday 11 July Gordon Brown announced his intention to increase homebuilding nationally by 20% from around 200,000 homes a year to 240,000 homes a year by 2016.
   
   
2. Between 2001 and 2006, homebuilding in the South East rose by 30.9% from 25,447 a year to 33,309 a year.
   
   
3. The Assembly is a partnership of councils and communities in the South East region. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the region, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey.
   
   
4. The Assembly is made up of 112 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) as well as the New Forest National Park Authority.
   
   
5. The Assembly has six roles:
1. Regional Planning
   preparing and delivering the South East Plan
2. Regional Housing
   the Regional Housing Board decides housing investment priorities
3. Regional Transport
   the Regional Transport Board decides transport investment priorities
4. Advocacy
   pressing the South East's interests in London and Brussels
5. Accountability
   scrutinising SEEDA's plans and impact
6. Alignment
   co-ordinating regional policies and decisions.

Our vision is for a distinctive, outward-looking, accessible region of prosperous, sustainable communities, with a high quality of life and environment.

Last updated: 21 August 2007