§ 9. Mr. Gordon Prentice (Pendle)Which five local authority areas in England have the highest percentage of public and private housing stock built before 1919. [116150]
§ The Minister for Housing and Planning(Mr. Nick Raynsford)The five local authority areas with the highest proportion of private sector housing built before 1919 are Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, Hackney, Kensington and Chelsea, and Pendle. The five authorities 802 with the highest proportion of pre-1919 council housing are Camden, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, and Kensington and Chelsea. We are committed to improving the housing conditions of the poorest households, and today's housing Green Paper will set out some new ideas for tackling those needs in both the public and private sectors.
§ Mr. PrenticeI knew the answer to my question before I asked it. Is the Minister aware that there is a unique cocktail of housing problems not just in Pendle, but next door in Burnley and in east Lancashire? Pendle ranks third in the entire country when it comes to unfit housing, and sixth in respect of empty housing. It is beyond the resources of local authorities in my area to tackle decades of neglect. I hope that, as a result of the housing Green Paper, of which we will hear details in about 20 minutes' time, the necessary resources will be pumped into the area to bring crumbling, useless housing up to a decent standard.
§ Mr. RaynsfordI fully recognise the points that my hon. Friend made about the condition of the housing stock and the problems of vacant property in his constituency. Pendle's allocation in 2000-01 under the housing investment programme was some 30 per cent. up on 1999–2000, and, as he anticipated, when he hears the announcement that my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will make in a few minutes' time, he will realise that the Government are very serious about extending the help available to improve conditions in areas such as his.