Without a Home at Christmas (David Rendel)

Without a Home at Christmas

December 21, 2009 3:51 PM

A massive increase has been reported in the number of those in West Berkshire hoping unsuccessfully for a home this Christmas. Figures just published by the National Housing Federation show that the increase in West Berkshire's housing waiting list over the last five years is 159%, higher than any other unitary authority in the South East.

"The Christmas story once again brings to our attention the trauma of being without a suitable home. The fact that so many more or our local residents have had to suffer this trauma over the last five years should be a matter of the greatest shame to our Council," commented David Rendel, Newbury's Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate.

"Again and again the Council has allowed developers to get away with building far fewer affordable homes on each new estate than are so badly needed. They have not even achieved the required levels when the housing has been built on the Council's own land.

"All too often I get desperate letters from people living in very overcrowded conditions, who fear their families will split up unless they can find a more suitable home to live in. The Conservatives like to claim that they are the party which is keen on marriage. But the utter failure of their housing policies is one of the most frequent causes of marriage breakdown.

"It is time they gave affordable housing for the less well off a higher priority than tax cuts for their millionaire funders."