§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice he has given to Castle Point borough council on the future management structure of its housing estate. [118459]
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§ Mr. McNultyAs stated in the Sustainable Communities Plan, local authorities should separate their landlord function from their strategic housing responsibilities. Best Value reports show that landlords' concerns often dominate local authorities thinking on housing when they should be considering strategies for whole local housing markets. Separation helps ensure that proper attention is given to both the strategic and landlord functions.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assistance his Department is giving to Castle Point borough council to reduce its housing waiting lists. [118461]
§ Mr. McNultyCastle Point covers an area of 44.75 square km and the borough council holds 4.7 per cent. of the total housing stock, some 35,700 properties.
The borough lies within the Thames Gateway growth area, and as such, will benefit from the £446 million that the "Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future" (SCP) documents, published in February of this year, have made available for this area over the next three years. This growth area has the potential to provide a significant portion of the 200,000 additional homes, for the south-east, mentioned in the SCP.
Further provision of social housing will be in collaboration with a number of RSLs in the area, providing housing for rent and affordable housing for ownership through shared ownership and Homebuy schemes.
For the period 2003–04, the Housing Corporation has allocated some £1.237 billion for 20,645 new homes nationally. The east of England will receive £116.06 million, providing 3,707 homes with the challenge fund providing an additional £23.94 million and 429 homes. Castle Point itself will receive in the region of £70,000.
The forthcoming Regional Housing Strategy, produced by the Regional Housing Forum and accepted by the Regional Housing Board, will prove instrumental in the allocation of funding to the areas of greatest housing need. This level of funding in the region coupled with the strategic priorities of the council of providing housing and housing services to the public will enable Castle Point to increase provision of affordable housing in the borough and offer vital housing services to the public, which in turn, will have effect on the numbers of households on the waiting list for accommodation.
This Government are committed to the provision of affordable housing, and through the various mechanisms detailed in the SCP, will continue to invest in our communities.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people were on the Castle Point borough council housing waiting list in each category in each of the last five years for which figures exist and on 1 April 2003. [118462]
§ Mr. McNultyThe number of people on the Castle Point borough council housing waiting list in the last five years for which figures exist are tabled as follows.
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Criteria 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Households with or expecting children 492 426 403 244 Not recorded Not recorded Households requiring specialised dwellings (e.g. elderly or disabled)
37 44 45 57 Not recorded Not recorded Other households 143 192 254 180 Not recorded Not recorded Total households 672 662 702 481 604 937 Of which 1 Households requiring up to two bedrooms Not recorded Not recorded Not recorded 369 530 716 2. Households requiring three bedrooms Not recorded — — 66 74 218 3. Households requiring more than three bedrooms — Not recorded Not recorded Not recorded Not recorded 3