§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on how(a) the Starter Homes Initiative and (b) the Abandoned Homes Initiative have affected the residents of Crosby. [160568]
§ Keith HillSince September 2001, the Starter Home Initiative (SHI) has been helping key workers into home ownership in areas where the high cost of housing serves to undermine recruitment and retention of skilled staff in our key public services. The SHI has been available in London and the South East region and in some housing hotspots in the East, South West and West Midlands regions. It has not been available to key workers in the North West region.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not aware of an Abandoned Homes Initiative. However, our Market Renewal Pathfinders are a comprehensive programme to tackle low demand and abandonment in nine English areas, including Merseyside. The boundaries of the Merseyside scheme, which covers the southern part of the Sefton council district, but not Crosby, were drawn up following an analysis of local housing markets to identify those areas most acutely affected by low demand and abandonment. The integrated approach to spatial and economic issues being adopted by the pathfinders should bring substantial benefits to the wider sub-region.