§ 24. Miss Baconasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many houses the Leeds City Council applied to build in their 1955 programme; how many he is allowing them 971 to build; and if, in view of the large number of persons on the Leeds City housing list and the great number of houses that require demolition, he will enlarge his allocation.
§ Mr. SandysIt is not customary to publish figures of housing allocations. In this case, the council has only recently received a substantial additional allocation.
§ Miss BaconIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the council originally asked for 3,000 houses in this year's scheme, that his Ministry cut that figure to 2,000, and that only after months of protracted negotiation has the figure been raised to 2,500? Is he further aware that on the waiting list for council houses in Leeds there are no fewer than 26,500 families, and that in addition to these there are 22,500 houses earmarked for demolition? In view of this, why was not Leeds allowed to build its original allocation?
§ Mr. SandysI have no doubt that those figures will be read with interest in the Leeds newspapers. What is more relevant is that the allocations already given to Leeds should be sufficient to provide the council with as large a programme as it is able to cope with at present. I would add that the council has an abnormally large number of houses approved but not started.