How many and how much?

Dear Editor,

Yes to Homes has been backed by over 600 councillors from across the political parties and 10 councils who have passed our council motion because they want to see the right homes, in the right place, at the right price built.

Ten Councils have so far supported the campaign, they are: Ashfield District Council, Babergh District Council, Cheshire East Council, Corby Borough Council, Coventry City Council, Mid Suffolk Council, Milton Keynes Council, Norwich City Council, Oxford City Council, Plymouth City Council.

Despite being intensively lobbied for over five years Rochdale councilors of all parties have not acted on this in enough numbers to have their council on this list.

This is lamentable given the waiting list in Rochdale is increasing each year and RMBC is about to alter the bidding process for those already on the list and change the existing criteria for what is deemed as ‘reasonable’ for those on the list to turn down the offer of accommodation many housing campaigners have real grounds to fear that our local housing crisis is about to go from bad to worse.

These proposed changes will eventually effect everyone currently on the housing waiting list in some way or other.

I understand Rochdale Council have employed consultants to look into this issue. I just wonder how much they are being paid and if they have yet reached what is blindingly obvious to us all that RMBC and RBH are simply not building enough of what we used to called ‘council houses’.

My questions are simple ones.

• How much are RMBC paying their consultants?
• How many new homes - if any - does the Council and RBH intend to build in 2016?
• How many people are currently on the Housing waiting list?

Yours,

Andrew Wastling