§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now make a statement arising from the deputation seen by officials on 18 July on what action is to be taken to ensure that the Walsall council has sufficient resources to undertake the modernisation of Rosehill estate, Willenhall.
§ Sir George Young[pursuant to his reply, 23 July 1985]: My officials have given me a full account of the points made by the hon. Member and tenants from the Rosehill estate at their meeting on 18 July. I have now written to the hon. Member on the matter.
I understand the strong wishes of many of the tenants that something should be done to improve conditions on the estate. However, it is for Walsall district council to decide what action to take within the context of its housing programme as a whole. In addition to the HIP allocation of £9.5 million for 1985–86, Walsall has received a supplementary capital allocation of £627,000. Apart from some further small amounts to be allocated among authorities with difficulties in meeting their obligations under the Housing Defects Act, there are no further resources available for distribution this year. Before the HIP allocations for 1986–87 are made, Walsall will have an opportunity to explain its needs and the points which the hon. Member and the tenants from the Rosehill estate have made will also be taken into account.