Oral Answers to Questions

Mark Prisk Excerpts

Monday 22nd January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Dominic Raab]

The record speaks for itself. We have delivered 357,000 more affordable homes since 2010—more than in the preceding seven years under the previous Labour Government. We are raising the cap; we did that in the last Budget. We are also creating a stable financial envelope for local authorities and housing associations with long-term rent deals: the settlement is CPI plus 1%. That is the sustainable way to drive home building in this country.

[Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford and Stortford) (Con)]

18. What progress his Department has made on enabling the development of surplus public land for housing.

[The Minister for Housing (Dominic Raab)]

Between 2011 and 2015, Government land was sold with the capacity to deliver up to 109,000 new homes.

[Mr Prisk]

Some Labour councils, particularly in London, own hundreds of acres of surplus land. May I urge the new Minister to challenge those Labour authorities so that we can turn that land into family homes?

[Dominic Raab]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. In the 2015 autumn statement, the Chancellor set out our aim to release enough Government land by 2020 for 160,000 extra homes to be built. The Government are providing local authorities with money to help to facilitate that. I met Nick Walkley, the CEO of Homes England, last week to make sure that we get cracking on this top priority.