Impact of £6bn Savings on Housing
Sarah Webb, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) commented on the impact on housing of the government’s £6.2 billion savings in 2010-11.
Sarah Webb said: “These are difficult times, and it is clear that funding for housing has come under close scrutiny. Today’s announcement suggests a mixed-bag for housing. On the one hand there are cuts from housing pledge initiatives; on the other hand these savings have been re-allocated into new affordable housing."
She continued: “It is encouraging that there is obviously a commitment here to supporting house building and investment in much needed social housing. And we are pleased that our House Proud campaign, run jointly with Inside Housing magazine over the last five months, has succeeded in highlighting the importance of housing as part of the government’s wider agenda.”
Sarah Webb concluded: “What isn’t fully clear, however, are the nature of cuts to existing initiatives and the impact their withdrawal could have. It also remains to be seen what reductions in funding for local government and devolved authorities could have on their respective housing responsibilities. Looking ahead, it is apparent that the emergency budget and spending review remain key in providing details of how government intends to address the deficit in coming months and years, including the full scale of implications for housing.”
*ENDS*
