At Full-Council last week we debated and I strongly supported a Lib-Dem motion (credit where its due) requesting that the Government unfetter local councils on Housing, by giving local people the power to decide on how best to provide housing support in their local communities. We may disagree on which powers we might use or measures we would take, but it should be for local people to decide.
At the moment this Labour government via an unfair 'Negative Subsidy' (i.e. additional tax) regime take money away from TDC's Housing Department. Tandridge’s 2,686 tenants pay £10.3 million a year in rent, but £3.7 million of this is taken by the Government. This will rise to nearly £3.9 million in 2009/2010. A better funding system is needed to help local councils meet the national housing affordability crisis and to ensure homes are made decent.
Along with the the minimal grant given to TDC from Government it is just one more example of how poorly it treats people who live outside its heartlands - despite the fact that decent housing in the South-East is a lot more costly than in say the North East and people on low incomes.
The motion was passed unanimously.
