SDLP finance spokesperson Declan O’Loan MLA has called for a long-term joint approach by all parties to the issue of social housing. Speaking ahead of the motion in the Assembly today (Tuesday), Mr O’Loan said:
He said: “This issue is too important for the arguments that we have seen. There are 40,000 applicants on the waiting list, half of those being in urgent housing need. In one year, 9,000 households are deemed homeless.
“Over the next two years, there will be funding deficit of £200million. Over the 10 year Investment Strategy to 2018, that shortfall will be £1billion. We will be addressing that against a background of reduced public expenditure.
“That is a stark challenge for the Assembly. It will not be resolved by criticising each other. We need a frank debate and recognition that this is a shared problem. The task is to put social housing on a sound long-term footing.
“The Housing Council has presented a good starting point in its document ‘Bridging the Gaps’. It proposes new thinking on developer contributions in the medium term, on new governance arrangements for the Housing Executive and permitting it to borrow, and enhancing the role of the private rented sector. The SDLP has proposed the restructuring of Housing Executive debt and the sale and leaseback of the Housing Executive headquarters. All of these ideas and more need to be debated.
“In the short term, more public investment should go into social housing. That will do more than anything else to counter the recession. House building is labour intensive, and for every ten jobs created directly, another seven will be generated elsewhere in the economy.”