Labour councils building twice as many affordable homes

Labour councils are building twice as many affordable homes as their Tory counterparts.

Figures gained from a Freedom of Information request by shadow local government secretary, Hilary Benn indicate that Labour-run constituencies have built an average of 403 council houses since the last election, compared with just 201 in Tory-held authorities.

According to insidehousing.co.uk, this has led to Labour councils having an average of 618 homes to offer to needy constituents, whilst Conservative councils only have 365.

In an interview with independent.co.uk, Mr Benn said that it was key for local authorities to continue providing affordable homes for residents.

He said: “I’m proud that Labour authorities are doing so much of the hard work of identifying need, freeing up land, working with their communities to gain planning consent and developers and housing associations to get spades in the ground.

“By making social and affordable housing a priority, Labour authorities not only provide much-needed homes, but also create vital jobs and apprenticeships to support the local economy.”

In his recent Autumn statement, Chancellor George Osborne did reveal that more than £1 billion of funds would be dedicated to housebuilding. He also raised the maximum amount of money that local authorities could borrow to build council houses.