Shelter urges government to deliver more social housing

Mon 28 Jun 2010

The government has been urged to make the delivery of social housing a priority.

According to Shelter, this would be essential if the coalition's plan to make the UK's workforce more mobile is to succeed.

Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith recently announced that unemployed people could move further up housing waiting lists if they are willing to relocate to a place which has more job opportunities.

Shelter stated that since the UK already has record waiting lists for social housing, such a policy depends on more properties becoming available.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of the charity, told the Independent that 1.8 million households are currently on local authority waiting lists.

This, he said, means the delivery of more social homes should be the government's "top priority", as they are "desperately" needed.

Labour has already spoken out against Mr Duncan Smith's proposals, but chancellor George Osborne defended them on the grounds they would give more freedom of choice to people who live in social housing.

He said the policy would give those on lower incomes the opportunities and aspirations that higher earners take for granted.