Task Force set up to tackle lack of affordable housing
Wednesday, November 7 2007
Councillor David Raw, Executive Member for Social Work Services, is set to lead a small dedicated team to examine the provision of affordable housing in the Borders. The team, made up of elected members from the Council’s Administration, will be studying approaches from across the UK to find solutions to the lack of affordable housing in the Borders.
The average cost of a house in the Scottish Borders is eight times the level of the average wage. The low wage economy, transport costs and escalation of house prices has put owning a house beyond the reach of many people. During the last year only 60 social rented houses were completed. The Council estimates that at least 300 a year will be needed to make an impression on the current problem. Since 2004 ‘right to buy’ has diminished the availability of socially rented housing by 500 and added pressure to the demand for housing. Even though local housing associations are arranging around 500 new lets a year, their combined waiting lists exceed 5,000. There are currently more than 1,000 ‘empty’ properties including second homes in the Scottish Borders.
Councillor Raw said: “We have set up a dedicated task force and will take political ownership of looking at all the issues surrounding affordable housing. In the Scottish Borders during the last financial year we have had 1,100 people presenting as themselves as homeless. We plan to look at what other local authorities have done in their areas to increase their stock of affordable housing. We are working to a twelve-month timescale and will gather information and provide recommendations to improve the situation in the Borders.”
The special Task Force will operate in the same way as a House of Commons Select Committee, taking and evaluating evidence and making recommendations to full Council.
Unified Solutions.