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We need to build more social homes

12th December 2006

Alan Whitehead lobbied the Chancellor Gordon Brown with an urgent message to build more social rented homes in Southampton.

As part of a campaign by housing charity Shelter, Dr Whitehead posted a red rubber brick to the Chancellor as a symbol of his support for the charity’s call to build more social rented homes for families in the greatest housing need. In the South East alone there are currently 12,847 of homeless children trapped in temporary accommodation, robbing them of their health, education and a fair chance in life.

Shelter aims to send a total of 20,000 bricks to Gordon Brown to persuade him to fund an extra 20,000 social homes each year when he sets out his three-year spending plans next summer. 

The MP event follows the publication by Shelter last week of new research to mark 40 years since its launch and the first broadcast of ‘Cathy Come Home’ showing that one in seven children in Britain – 1.6 million overall – is homeless or badly housed.

Dr Whitehead said:

“Spiralling prices and a chronic shortage of social homes mean many of my constituents are caught in a housing ‘catch 22’ through no fault of their own. Gordon Brown has to fund more homes for Southampton’s families when he sets out his spending plans next year.”

Adam Sampson, chief executive of Shelter, said:

“Four decades after Cathy Come Home, many ordinary families still struggle to find a safe and decent home. In 1966 the Government built 142,000 new social homes – last year we managed just 18,000 while selling off many more through the Right to Buy.

“The critical shortage of affordable housing is robbing children in our region and across the country of a decent health, education and future chances."

In June 2006 the Communities and Local Government Select Committee endorsed Shelter's campaign for an extra 20,000 social rented homes to be built each year above existing commitments. In his 2005 Pre-Budget Report the Chancellor acknowledged that new social housing must be a priority in next summer's Comprehensive Spending Review (2007).

Members of the public can sign a virtual red Shelter brick at www.shelter.org.uk/wallofshame.

More information

1. DCLG homelessness statistics, Quarter 2, 2006.
2. Shelter is calling on the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, to commit the funds to build 20,000 extra social rented homes in England each year between 2008 - 2011, over and above existing plans, in his next Comprehensive Spending Review in July 2007. Shelter estimates this could lift 150,000 children out of bad housing and give them the chance of a brighter future.
3. 1.6 million children in Britain – one in seven – are homeless, trapped in temporary accommodation, or living in overcrowded or unfit housing. Almost 400,000 of these children live in London. (Against the Odds, Shelter, November 2006)
4. 40 years ago, the BBC broadcast seminal social drama Cathy Come Home, directed by Ken Loach. The film galvanised public support for an end to bad housing. Shortly after the broadcast Shelter was launched.
5. The MP event (4 Dec 2006) follows Shelter’s 30-metre interactive Wall of Shame, public protest event, on London's South Bank, where Shelter supporters transformed a white Wall of Shame into a red Wall of Hope using thousands of red 'brick' stickers customised with signatures and messages of support for Shelter’s call from more social rented homes. The public can also “Stick it to bad housing” online at www.shelter.org.uk. The Wall was at Riverside Walkway from Wednesday 29 November until Sunday 3 December 2006.
6. Shelter believes everyone should have a home. We help more than 170,000 people a year fight for their rights, get back on their feet, and find and keep a home. We also tackle the root causes of Britain's housing crisis by campaigning for new laws, policies and solutions. Shelter launched the Million Children Campaign in April 2004 aimed at getting the Government to commit to ending bad housing for the next generation of children. Bad housing robs children of their health, education and a fair chance in life. For further information visit www.shelter.org.uk.

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