Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency
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Contact Norman at:
Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
Email: info
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2003 (and previous) press releases
"Deliver Your Council Housing Promises." Local MP calls on government to invest in council housing to reach targets.
Local MP Norman Baker has added his name to a House of Commons motion along with 53 other MPs, calling for more investment in council housing to ensure the government's own targets for decency standards are met by 2010.
Mr Baker is backing the campaign to improve living standards in the 3,447 council houses owned by Lewes District Council. The government has pledged to bring all council houses up to the "decency standard" by 2010 although many local authorities lack the investment to achieve this.
The motion also calls on the government to:
- Use the additional money for housing announced in the last spending review to be invested in council housing
- End discrimination against council housing
- Allow councils to borrow for investment
- Use local authority social housing grant to build new council homes
There are nearly 3 million council house tenants nationwide. Many urban local authorities face an up-hill challenge to reach the decency standard within the government time frame, without significant amounts of additional funding.
Speaking about the motion, Norman Baker says:
"I support the campaign to improve council housing in my constituency and nationwide. I urge the government to invest in council housing as a matter of urgency; otherwise Ministers run the very real risk of missing their own 'decency' targets for standards in council houses."
"Council houses should be of a decent standard, affordable and secure. I have lent my support to the House of Commons motion to put pressure on the government to ensure this happens as soon as possible."