Torbay Housing Register Numbers Unacceptable - Sanders

12.00.00am GMT Mon 13th Feb 2006

Local MP, Adrian Sanders, has expressed disappointment at news that the numbers of people on the Housing Register in Torbay have increased 54% under Labour.

Adrian Sanders said:

"There simply are not enough houses that meet local needs in the area. This means families are often in unsuitable accommodation for long periods of time, or sometimes homeless. The rise since 1997 is concerning and it shows that the government is letting local people down."

In 2004 numbers peaked at 2555 with a slight dip last year.

"People often contact me looking for help to find accommodation and sadly the only advice I can often give is to wait to move up the register."

Last January Adrian called for more affordable housing for rent and part-rent/part buy following the release of a report from The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Region Committee which called on the Government urgently to provide more social housing, and not to extend the right-to-buy scheme, as the only real way to stop rising numbers of homeless households in the UK.

Adrian added:

"New affordable housing is urgently needed and despite calls from the Select Committee last January this did not happen locally. I think that government should re-examine its priorities when building new housing, to make sure that any housing that gets built meets local needs, and not the profit targets of developers or the demand from absentee landlords looking to invest in new properties for rent locally.

"Torbay's problem has been exacerbated by house price rises outstripping rises in income at a time when half of all our former council houses have been sold off and not replaced.

"It is more difficult today for a working couple on average local wages to find affordable housing than ever before."