Liberal Democrats’ Eddisbury parliamentary candidate robert Thompson on Affordable Housing

Apr 22 2010 by Ben Coulbeck, Chester Chronicle

nFOR many young families and individuals the chances of living in the community they grew up in are fast reducing.

House prices in the constituency are generally higher than the national average and there is a lack of affordable housing because there is a shortage of social housing across the constituency and particularly in the rural areas.

To improve prospects, there are a number of initiatives that need to be taken:

Encourage social housing providers to work with government; government agencies and local authorities to free up land in public ownership (eg. where a village school has closed) and build social housing.

Allow the conversion of agricultural buildings into social housing.

Bring empty houses back into use with cheap loans and grants (which would also help to create jobs).

Reform public sector borrowing to enable social housing providers to repay borrowings up to 50 years rather than the more typical 30 years now.

As national finances allow increase subsidies to encourage more sustainable, cost- and energy-efficient homes to be built.