Healey pledges £83m to kick-start housing market
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Housing Minister John Healey has announced a £83m package to kick start the building of 5,700 new and affordable homes which have been stalled by the recession.
Healey says the money is intended to help families take their first step onto the housing ladder through the Government’s HomeBuy scheme.
The cash is also intended to get struggling housebuilders building homes again safeguarding over 1,700 jobs.
Those receiving funding must provide apprenticeships and opportunities for local workers.
The minister has already given 141 projects mothballed by the recession cash to get back on track and workers are back on site on many of these.
The extra £83m of funding means nearly 5,700 homes are now going ahead and 1,700 jobs in the construction have been safeguarded.
As part of the government’s drive to make new homes cleaner and greener, priority has been given to those schemes which are set to meet high environmental
Healey, says: “We’re putting the weight of Government investment into building much-needed affordable homes, keeping people in work and giving young people a chance of apprenticeships.
“That’s why today I’m allocating £83 million to get 87 stalled developments across the country up and running again, creating 1,700 jobs and giving more than 2,200 first-time buyers the chance to take an affordable step onto the property ladder.
“In this recession, the Government has not stepped back and left the homes and jobs we need to the market. We’re using public funding to keep Britain building through the downturn.”
Following today’s announcement, Mr Healey has now allocated more than £3.6 billion for housebuilding since June, funding nearly 68,000 new homes, starting the largest council housebuilding programme for two decades and freeing up public land for housing.
