Six weeks before the budget - and less than three months since the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister launched the Government's flagship Housing Strategy - Mr Grant Shapps unveiled a range of measures to help first time buyers onto the housing ladder, provide support for millions who have been left languishing on social housing waiting lists and get construction on the move.
In a speech to councils and the housing sector, the Minister argued that in contrast to the experiences of the past, where a plethora of housing policies, papers and initiatives "gathered dust on Whitehall shelves", the determination of the Prime Minister and the Government to put housing centre stage has meant that tangible progress is already being made, with plenty more moves on the way.
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Among the range of measures to get the homes the country needs built, the Minister today announced:
•That he has already identified enough Government land to build 80,000 homes, and is now working with organisations including the BBC and Royal Mail to find even more unused sites for housebuilding - meaning Ministers are on course to release enough land for 100,000 homes by 2015
•Details of the NewBuy Guarantee scheme to help those aspiring to buy newly-built properties to do so with just a fraction of the deposit that's normally required; and
•That he is devolving power from Whitehall to Town Halls, ending a long-standing "tax on tenants" in a £19 billion deal enabling councils to keep the rents they collect and invest the money in their homes.
Mr Shapps said: "The pattern of the past has been to produce endless policies and initiatives that simply gather dust on Whitehall shelves and lead to inaction and inertia. But with the Prime Minister putting housing centre stage on the road to economic recovery, I am determined that we shall not repeat these mistakes of the past.
"That's why I'm pulling out all the stops for those who want to get on the property ladder, so from March the NewBuy Guarantee scheme will be on hand to help people buying newly built properties with just a fraction of the deposit they would normally need.
"It's also why I am working across Whitehall to ensure we release enough public land for 100,000 new homes by 2015. But I'm looking beyond Westminster and want to see organisations like the BBC, Royal Mail and Network Rail also follow our lead.
"And for those languishing on council waiting lists, my message is clear: we are doing all we can to bring your wait to an end. That's why today I'm laying the final foundations for a £19 billion deal that will end the 'tenants tax' and give councils the freedom they need to build more homes in their area."
(CD/GK)
