9:47am Wednesday 5th May 2010
By Reader's letter
Coun Simpson-Laing’s attempt to blame Coun Galloway for York’s housing mess beggars belief.
She and her Labour colleagues share the blame for the failure of the 50 per cent affordable housing policy, as it is this that is responsible for the shortage of homes being built.
Labour proposed the policy in 2003, and pressurised the Lib Dems to adopt it in 2005.
Coun Simpson-Laing would have you believe that she knows best how to provide homes for York, but she does not.
Councils across the country are having to rethink their policies because their targets are too high and not viable.
Blyth Council has a need of 83 per cent, set its target at 40 per cent, then reduced it to 30 per cent, but, when tested for viability, was only found to work at ten per cent.
Coun Simpson-Laing still believes in, and supports, the 50 per cent policy, but it is Coun Galloway who knows better and realises that the target will not work and needs to be reduced.
In this case, less is more, as 50 per cent of nothing, as we know is… nothing!
Paul S Cordock, Durlston Drive, Strensall, York.
* Tracey Simpson-Laing accuses Steve Galloway of a head-in-the-sand mentality over affordable housing policies; but it is she who insists in continuing with the failed 50 per cent policy, even though in five years it has produced only five affordable dwellings.
Matthew Laverack, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York.
* Coun Tracy Simpson-Laing, in her letter of May 3 (Homes warning) seeks to draw attention away from her Labour Government’s poor performance on housing provision. She conveniently forgets that there are currently more than 4,000 outstanding planning permissions for new homes in the city.
Most, in York as elsewhere in the country, are stalled by the current economic climate, which still means that mortgages are extremely difficult to obtain.
Developers will build when they can be sure of getting a return on their investment.
The local market could benefit from a kick-start, and for that reason the current policy on affordable housing percentages will be put under the microscope at a council working group meeting, which will be held on June 7.
As the majority of residents who replied to a recent council survey have already said that they favour a more flexible system, both that and/or the possibility of introducing a sliding scale which reflects market conditions will be options on the table.
A more flexible approach will have my support. It remains to be seen whether others are prepared to modify their policies in the light of prevailing conditions in the housing market.
Coun Steve Galloway Executive member for city strategy, City of York Council, Guildhall, York.
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