§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet allocated the additional £3 million which he announced on 17 June would be made available to areas of poor quality private sector housing; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. RidleyLetters will be sent shortly to the leaders of the following local housing authorities informing them of the Government's intention to make available additional capital allocations for 1988–89 to assist them tackle their worst areas of private sector housing:
The additional expenditure is expected to be targeted on area schemes involving a mix of clearance, renovation, new build and environmental improvements in partnership with the private sector, housing associations and other agencies. These schemes will complement other Government initiatives, such as Estate Action and housing action trusts, to improve conditions in rundown urban areas, and it is intended that additional resources will continue to be made available in subsequent years, subject to satisfactory progress, to enable programmes to be completed. Discussions are continuing with other housing authorities with a view to expanding the number of schemes next year.
£ million Allerdale 0.20 Birmingham 0.40 Blackburn 0.40 Bolton 0.20 Hyndburn 0.20 Pendle 0.10 Rochdale 0.20 Sheffield 0.40 Stoke-on-Trent 0.25 Wirral 0.50