Two thousand new council houses to be built in UK

LONDON (UK): Work will begin on a major council house building programme in Britain that will see over 2,000 new council homes built, Housing Minister John Healey announced Saturday.

Forty seven councils around the country will receive a share of £127 million of government funding, the largest investment in housing for two decades. Councils will match that funding, bringing the total investment to over £250million, says an electronic message received by 'Pakistan Times' [Daily e-Newspaper] from 10 Downing.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that the announcement would mean “energy efficient, affordable homes for thousands of families”, and a boost for construction workers.

“This is a key part of the Government’s plan to continue to invest through the downturn to boost our economy and to Build Britain’s Future. We now need councils to move fast and make the best possible use of this investment, so that together we can meet local housing needs and support the house building industry.”

The investment in council housing is part of the Prime Minister’s £1.5 billion Housing Pledge announced in Building Britain’s Future in June.

Housing Minister John Healey said construction will begin on the first sites before the end of the year.

“This boost for affordable housing will help build the homes we need and it’s also a shot in the arm for the construction industry creating over five thousand jobs. And built to some of the toughest ever standards, this is good for the environment and means lower fuel bills for the families who live in them.”

John Healey said the cash injection along with plans to give councils greater control of their housing finances and more leeway in how they run their waiting lists will mean councils are “better placed to meet the housing needs of their communities”. Link...