Housing hiatus

THE view in the Tory shires that the Lib Dems are exerting disproportionate influence in the coalition will not resonate in Hull, where its housing regeneration programme is now in limbo because of the spending squeeze.

It's particularly embarrassing for Nick Clegg, given that the Lib Dems run Hull Council and the poor quality of the city's public housing stock is one of the reasons why Hull continues to languish at the bottom of deprivation league tables.

A never-ending cycle of poverty now ensnares family generations – and has become engrained in the fabric of parts of Hull and other inner-city communities across Britain.

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Once again, there appears to have been a lack of financial realism – a familiar failing – on the part of the last Labour government. It is certainly guilty of raising false hopes, and then leaving the coalition to pick up the pieces and try to ameliorate those residents whose dreams of moving to a modest home have now been dashed so cruelly.

Yet, while the recklessness of the past government absolves the coalition of some responsibility, it is, nevertheless, the duty of Mr Clegg and others to outline a coherent housing strategy.

So far, Ministers have ripped up Labour's housing targets. They hope the use of incentives will see local authorities approve new housing developments where appropriate.

However, this policy primarily applies to new homes – it does little to address the problems with social housing and how town halls have insufficient funds to repair existing stock, or build new properties. This is the primary issue that Ministers need to address. For, if they don't, the spiral of decline now blighting so many Hull neighbourhoods will accelerate still further and leave future generations paying an even greater price, both socially and economically, in the years to come.