Decent homes delayed by £100m cash crisis
A cash crisis has left thousands of social tenants in Northern Ireland without vital improvements to their homes.
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s annual report admits a £100 million funding shortfall has meant it has been unable to start planned capital improvement works to its stock.
The report says the funding gap meant the executive had been forced to redirect funding to vulnerable and homeless people.
Housing executive chairman Brian Rowntree said: ‘The Housing Executive is concerned that a huge gap exists between the budget available and what we need to spend to meet housing need and deliver ongoing improvement. It is clear we need to find a more stable financial footing for housing investment.
‘As well as maximising the available public investment through reducing costs we need to find additional funding provision through the development and delivery of more innovative approaches.’
The executive exceeded its target for new homes, with 1,838 social housing starts in 2009/10. This target will rise for 2010/11 to 2,000 social housing units.
Alex Attwood, minister for social development, said: ‘There is still much more to do and I am committed to delivering a new housing agenda for everyone in Northern Ireland, including protecting vulnerable households from current economic hardship by providing help to those in fuel poverty and delivering a Supporting People strategy to help individuals and families live independently in the community.’
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