86. Mr. Slaterasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, in view of the rising lists of applications for council houses and the restriction placed upon local authorities due to dearer money for borrowing, and the lack of subsidies for building council houses for general needs, what assistance he will offer to local authorities to meet the demand of general need application for council house tenancies.
§ Mr. H. BrookeThough there is still a serious shortage in some areas, particularly the big cities, the housing situation throughout the country generally has been transformed as a result of all the new building maintained now for eight years at a high level. There is no doubt that most local authorities will be able to continue building houses for all purposes to let at reasonable rents, provided of course that they use the subsidies they already receive to subsidise only those tenants who need help with their rents. An authority genuinely unable to continue building without charging unreasonably high rents or placing an excessive burden on the rates is able 31W to apply to me for the special discretionary subsidy of £30 a house provided for under the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1958.