HOPKINS HAILS
AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUCCESS STORY
NEARLY 200,000 new
affordable homes have been delivered since April 2010, new figures
show. Housing Minister Kris Hopkins welcomed the news as:- "a
real success story".
The latest figures show there were 41,654 affordable homes started in
the year to March 2014, that is 15% higher than the previous year. In
addition 125,000 of the 170,000 homes planned through the Affordable
Homes Programme, in which the Government is investing £19.5billion
public and private funding, have now been delivered.
It means that since April 2010, more than 197,000 new affordable
homes have been delivered. The Government has delivered
445,000 new homes overall since April 2010.
Housing Minister Kris Hopkins said:- "Our affordable housebuilding efforts are a clear success story, with nearly 200,000
new affordable homes delivered since April 2010. It means
families from Liverpool to Newquay have new homes available to them,
whether to rent at an affordable rate or to buy through our shared
ownership schemes. And this is on top of the wider efforts
we're making, which means housebuilding is now at its highest level
since 2007." The Affordable Homes programme includes social rented homes,
affordable rented homes and affordable homeownership schemes, and is
a key part of the Government's long term economic plan. And with
every new home supporting a job this multi billion pound programme
is helping get people back into work.
Council areas in the North West region that have seen some of the
biggest numbers of affordable homes delivered since April 2010
include:- ► Manchester, with 1,810 new affordable homes.
► Cheshire West and Chester UA, with 1,170 new affordable homes.
► Liverpool, with 1,430 new affordable homes.
► Wirral, with 910 new affordable homes.
► Salford, with 910 new affordable homes.
► Cheshire East UA, with 770 new affordable homes.
► Bolton, with 730 new affordable homes.
► Sefton, with 730 new affordable homes.
A 5th of the affordable homes built last year, and a quarter of the
total since 2010, were built in London.
The success of the Affordable Homes Programme is 1 of a number of
indicators that Britain is building following the end of the housing
boom in 2008. Others include:-
► Planning permission was granted for 216,000 new homes in
England in 2013 to 2014.
► the Help to Buy scheme has helped over 27,000 people get on the
property ladder with a fraction of the deposit they would normally
require; leading developers are building more as a direct result of
the scheme, with private housebuilding up a third compared to last
year.
► New home registrations rose by 30% in 2013 in England, the
highest since 2007, and are up 60% in London; the highest
for over 2 decades.
► Council housebuilding starts are at a 23 year high.
► Housing starts are at their highest since 2007.
► The numbers of empty homes are now at a 10 year low.
Woodvale Rally issue a plea for help
following a theft ahead of this weekends show!
WOODVALE Rally have just told us tonight
that:- "Visiting stunt rider Ken Fox, from the Wall of Death
had arrived on 18 June 2014, to get ready for the weekends show.
Sadly whilst visiting Southport Town Centre, they stopped at KFC on
Eastbank and chained up 2 mountain bikes outside. When they came
out, they found that the bikes locks had been cut off and the bikes
stolen, someone must have seen them or knows who has them. A cash
reward is now being offered for the return of the bikes or
information leading to the arrest of the culprits, one of the bikes
it a Black Sarason, Call Ken Fox on:- 07970 674824 or PM us direct.
Lets all try and help, please share this post and show the Wall Of
Death, Southport's not such a bad place!" Alternatively call
Crimestoppers on:- 0800 555 111, if you don't want anyone to know
who you are. |
|
Police cadets
showcase their work as Minister visits Lancashire
YOUNG volunteer police
cadets played a key role as Lancashire's Police and Crime
Commissioner welcomed Policing Minister Damian Green MP to the
county.
Mr Green heard from some of the Constabulary's youngest volunteers
when he headed to Blackpool and the Fylde College today, as part of
a day long visit to the resort to find out more about policing in
Lancashire.
The Minister also visited Blackpool's Bonny Street police station
where he spoke to Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Amanda
Webster and Superintendent Sam Mackenzie about the benefits of the
Constabulary's commitment to early intervention, and enjoyed a
private lunch with Commissioner Clive Grunshaw and Chief Constable
Steve Finnigan.
The Commissioner said:- "I am very proud of Lancashire's
Volunteer Police Cadets; being part of the developing Citizens in
Policing programme is a valuable opportunity, and they have already
proved themselves a real asset to the force.
I want Lancashire Constabulary to embrace volunteering and give
communities the chance to become involved in policing. Residents
want to have more of a say in policing, and volunteering gives them
the opportunity to do that. For the youngsters involved in the
cadets, they have a chance to gain vital experiences of both
policing and helping communities.
The visit also provided the opportunity to talk about early
intervention; something I am passionate about driving forward as
Police and Crime Commissioner. Given the scale of Government cuts,
adopting an early intervention approach to reduce future service
demand is vital, and something I hope will have real benefit for
Lancashire's residents.
I hope the Minister has been able to see today the scale of work
taking place in Lancashire to ensure we have the best possible
police force, and has taken on board the fact that any further
Government cuts will seriously impact on that."
Lancashire has 9 Volunteer Police Cadet schemes county-wide
involving youngsters between the ages of 13 and 18, and during
today's visit the Commissioner and Mr Green had the chance to speak
to the Blackpool cadets about their experiences.
Matt Barr, Curriculum Manager at Blackpool and The Fylde College,
said:- "The police cadet scheme is a fantastic opportunity for
young people, including a number of our Public Services students, to
get a first hand insight into the work of the police and to gain
some relevant volunteering experience for their CVs.
We have a good reputation for supporting young people into careers
in the public services and being involved with the programme is an
important part of our outreach work with local schoolchildren and
the wider community.
We're proud to be a part of this successful scheme and offer use of
our facilities for the benefit of everyone involved."
Southport Access For Everyone
(SAFE) Update THE
voluntary group who are working with people to improve access for
disabled people to premises and services in the Southport area of
Merseyside are holding another free public meeting. The meeting will
be held at:- Victoria Methodist Church, Sussex Road, Southport, PR8
6DG from 7pm, on Monday, 30 June 2014. Southport Access For Everyone
forum is open to anyone with or without a disability. Tony Crabtree
of behalf of SAFE said:- "We are pleased to announce this
month's guest speaker is Jo Seddon from Southport Living Well
Station; formerly Community Service Station will be giving us an
update on this service. The premises are fully accessible for
wheelchair users with adequate car parking facilities, and light
refreshments will be served before the meeting commences. I would
like to stress that anyone with an interest in disability issues are
welcome. Also for more information about our group and also about
meetings, we ask that your readers go to our
website or call us on:-
07866531036."
|