Union pushes for council-led building
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Representatives from super-union Unite are planning meetings with the newly-appointed housing ministers to press for renewed action on reviving council house building.
The union has published, a five-point action plan, Meeting housing need: Building Britain out of recession, to kick-start a new programme of council house building.
Unite deputy general secretary Jack Dromey said the union would be meeting with newly-appointed housing minister John Healey and new communities secretary John Denham to press for movement on the action plan.
It calls for a massive programme of new environmentally-sustainable social housing, including council homes. The union is also pressing for a new construction apprenticeship scheme for 16-24 year olds, as well as investment in a ‘retro-fit’ programme to improve energy efficiency in existing homes.
Unite also wants the government to use its stake in the banking sector to do more to prevent repossessions, as well as more financial support for housing associations to boost services for tenants and to improve staff numbers and employment conditions.
Mr Dromey argued that a shortage of housing ‘also fuels tensions in hard-pressed communities, exploited by the brain-dead boot boys in suits of the BNP.’
He said: ‘We’ve worked hard to take housing to the top of the political agenda and the government has made welcome moves, but needs to go much, much further.’
He added: ‘Our aim is to build a coalition of support, so that we win a new deal on housing, with once again, councils building on a massive scale.’
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