Affordable housing halts, drops in construction work and repossession fears
have lead to UNISON calling for a rescue plan to be put in place.
The largest housing union in the UK will hold a Housing Summit today (15
December) to thrash out areas for action during the financial crisis.
A decrease in the delivery of affordable housing and a shortfall of funds
available to improve existing council houses has led to the formation of the
plan.
Areas of support for council housing users include boosting the Affordable
Housing Programme through a rise in central government borrowing and
using unspent funds from the Homes and Communities Agency to address
shortfalls.
Measures that will benefit private tenants include extending the Mortgage
Rescue Package to more households, protection for tenants of landlords who
default on loans and safeguards for private renters at risk of redundancy.
Heather Wakefield, Head of Local Government, said: