§ 17. Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received over the shortage of affordable rented accommodation.
§ Sir George YoungI and my Department continue to receive a regular flow of representations about the quality and quantity of rented housing. I am glad to tell the hon. Member that we are on course to exceed our commitment to providing 153,000 homes through housing associations over the first three years of this Parliament; the Housing Corporation now estimates that on the latest plans some 178,000 will have been completed by the end of 1994–95.
§ 32. Ms HoeyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to increase the amount of affordable housing in inner London.
§ Sir George YoungThe Housing Corporation recently announced the allocation of £285 million of resources to Housing Association projects in inner London. This will provide over 5,000 additional homes to rent and over 2,000 additional lettings through the tenant incentive and sale programmes.
Local authorities can increase the supply of available housing for rent by reducing the number of vacant and squatted properties. Inner London has made good progress in the last five years, reducing by 7,500 the number of vacant and squatted council dwellings, but there is more to be done.
We expect to provide about £358 million in 1994–95 to assist the repair and regeneration of inner London estates through HIP, estate action and housing action trusts. We will also be funding cash incentive schemes which increase the number of council homes available for letting and we will provide £86 million over the next three years through the rough sleepers initiative, largely to provide homes for single homeless people.
656WWe also have initiatives such as flats over shops, housing associations as managing agents and tax incentives to take in lodgers which increase the supply of affordable housing through private renting.