Clive Efford
Main Page: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)(13 years, 11 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
The Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark)
My hon. Friend extends an enticing invitation that I will be delighted to take up, so that I can meet his local community and tell them that they are now free to set community plans in accordance with their interests without any fear that those plans will be revoked by national, unelected officials.
Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
The mantra that it is all down to the last horrible Labour Government that there is no money will not wash if this Government make the poorest people in our country pay. When the Secretary of State took office, he inherited one of the biggest council housing building programmes for 20 years. Will he guarantee that council housing will form part of his future affordable housing strategy?
Grant Shapps
First, after one month, frankly it will still wash; and, secondly, over 13 years, while in government, the Opposition built on average half the level of affordable housing per year of the previous two Conservative Governments, so we will be proud to put the situation right again.