§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconsider requests for special financial assistance for local authorities to help carry out extensive remedial work on dwellings built following National Building Agency advice in the last 10 years.
§ Mr. FreesonAny request for financial assistance which is not specifically authorised by statute would need very special justification and could only be considered if the local authority concerned were able to show that the expenditure involved would place an undue financial burden on it.
§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the expense of remedial work on local authority dwellings built in the last 15 years, if he will now instruct local authorities to cease demolition of unfit houses and instead make fit homes by improvement.
§ Mr. FreesonMy advice to local authorities is that they should develop flexible renewal strategies which reflect the condition and needs of the area concerned.