Commenting, he said: “I fully support the Government’s investment in the production of new council homes. There was a serious shortfall in the supply of affordable housing even before the credit crunch took hold, and the damage to the construction industry has set this back even further.
“However, I reject any suggestions that there is too much emphasis on new house building. Developers have had precious little support to continue the building required to meet Government’s ambitious housing targets, and there are simply not enough homes available to cater for the growing population.
“There is a huge level of pent-up demand in many areas of the country, so it would be insufficient to simply renovate existing stock as has been suggested by the Conservatives. Supporting the production of new, energy-efficient homes is an essential, progressive move by the Government that will go some way to meeting the nation’s housing needs, while supporting the construction industry with much-needed new employment.”
