HC Deb 08 March 1995 vol 256 cc194-6W
Mr. Hardy

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the sums(a) pledged to and (b) provided for housing associations to build new homes for rent in each local authority area in Yorkshire and Humberside in the latest available year, together with the number of such homes which will be built in 1995–96 and the number of applications on current housing lists in each area.

Mr. Robert B. Jones

Allocations made to housing associations from the Housing Corporation's approved development programme at the start of 1994–95, and those for 1995–96, to build new homes for rent in Yorkshire and Humberside are as listed by local authority area.

Local Authority Allocation 1994–95(£000s) Related Units (1994–95) Allocation 1995–96(£000s) Related Units(1995–96)
Selby 743 41 370 40
Sheffield 7,444 291 2,786 121
Wakefield 2,861 117 1,126 52
York 1,497 72 672 42

The number of households on local authority housing waiting lists in Yorkshire and Humberside on I April 1994 is given in section B of the "1994 HIP I All Items Print", a copy of which is in the Library.Data on housing associations waiting lists are not collected centrally.

Mr. Waterson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the names of the authorities to be included in the programme for housing transfers by councils in 1995–96; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Curry

I am today announcing the names of the II authorities who will be able to proceed, on a voluntary basis and subject to the approval of their tenants, with proposals to transfers their housing stock to housing associations in 1995–96.

I am pleased that it has been possible to include 11 authorities on the 1995–96 programme of large scale voluntary transfers which comprises nearly 47,000 dwellings valued at over £500 million.

This is part of the Government's commitment to a continuing programme of transfers as means of generating private finance to repair and improve the condition of social housing and to increase the diversity and choice for tenants.

The 11 authorities which have successfully gained a place on the 1995–96 programme, together with 12 recipient housing associations, are as follows:

East Hampshire District Council (4,300 dwellings) to East Hampshire Housing Association;Eastleigh District Council (4,682 dwellings) to Eastleigh Housing Association;Hastings Borough Council (4,662 dwellings) to the Hastings and St Leonards Housing Associations;Kennet District Council (4,996 dwellings) to Sarsen Housing Association;Manchester City Council (1,460 dwellings) to Manchester and District Housing Association;North Wiltshire District Council (6,300 dwellings) to the North Wiltshire Housing Association;Purbeck District Council (1,860 dwellings) to Purbeck Housing Association;Rushmoor District Council (5,000 dwellings) to Rushmoor Housing Association;Spelthorne District Council (4,291 dwellings) to Spelthorne Housing Association;The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (3,236 dwellings) to Windsor and District Housing Association.The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (2,981 dwellings) to Maidenhead and District Housing Association;Wyre Borough Council (3,036 dwellings) to Wyre Housing Association.

To date, 37 authorities have disposed of all or part of their stock to new landlords and three more are due to do so by the end of this financial year. I know that, in addition to the 11 authorities listed, other authorities are working up proposals to transfer. There will be opportunities to add these authorities to the 1995–96 programme if they make good progress with their proposals in the coming months.

The Government's policy is that transfers should be housing associations which are registered with the Housing Corporation and which are independent of the council. Authorities owning more than 5,000 dwellings will normally be required to split these between two or more new landlords. Transfers are to be wholly funded by private sector sources and the Secretary of State will consent to transfers only where the majority of tenants are not opposed to the idea.