Housing: Affordable Housing

Lord Martin of Springburn Excerpts

Thursday 12th June 2014 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston]

In terms of the delivery of affordable homes, we feel—certainly from the statistics that I have seen this morning—that they are being built in the areas where they are most needed. I will come back to the right reverend Prelate about rural housing because I do not have any specific data on that for him at the moment. But the fact remains that affordable housebuilding is increasing.

[Lord Martin of Springburn (CB)]

My Lords, may I call on the Minister to give every encouragement to the community-based housing associations that operate up and down the country? When I served as an MP, I had six community-based housing associations in my area. They provided lovely homes, they rehabilitated old tenements, they build community halls, they built sheltered housing—

[A noble Lord]

Too long.

[Lord Martin of Springburn]

I am not usually too long, my Lords. They also gave dignity to families.

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston]

I can assure the noble Lord that we support all communities that are building new homes. I have met a range of different people leading development in their areas. I certainly agree with everything the noble Lord said.