Kerry welcomes Government plans to build affordable new homes in Bristol

Kerry McCarthy MP Welcomes Government plans to boost house-building in Bristol

Housing Minister John Healey has confirmed nearly £500 million of funding to build around 8,000 affordable homes across the country including in Bristol. This takes the total Government funding for house-building to over £3.3 billion since June, kick-starting the largest council house-building programme for two decades. The cash will help developers reinvigorate stalled projects putting house building back on track.

Healey announced over 3,000 of these new homes are expected to be available through the government’s HomeBuy schemes, offering first time buyers a helping hand onto the property ladder. Moreover, nearly 5,000 homes will be available for affordable rent through housing associations.

The Bristol Unity Authority has been allocated just under £6 million to fund the construction of 115 affordable new homes for let and purchase. It is expected that 49 new homes will available for purchase and 66 for rent.

John Healey said ‘“Unlike Governments in previous recessions, we have used the power of public investment to ensure that even during the downturn we continued to build the homes this country needs. When levels of private housebuilding plummeted, we stepped in with record levels of funding to get Britain building again.’

Kerry McCarthy, MP for Bristol East, has welcomed the announcement saying:

‘The Government’s plans to boost house building in Bristol will help many first time buyers and hardworking families get on to the property ladder or rent a decent home. This investment will create new jobs and will provide many great apprenticeship opportunities, securing a strong future for the house-building industry and the next generation of construction workers. I am delighted that once again the Government has invested in creating more affordable new houses in Bristol that I believe will have far reaching benefits for our community.’