LETTER: Sale of homes will go to affordable housing

I AM surprised and disappointed to see Labour’s housing spokesperson, Cllr Pavlovic (Council’s housing policy is letting people down, Letters, October 5), making inaccurate claims about the council’s Housing Delivery Programme.

As I thought he understood, every penny of income from the market sale of homes in the programme will go towards funding costs and enabling more affordable homes to be built. There is absolutely no question of the house sales providing income to other parts of the council budget.

The programme, which is already attracting national attention for its high standards of design and environmental sustainability, is focussed on providing a mix of homes that are adaptable, comfortable and affordable to live in.

It will deliver a significant addition to the city’s affordable housing stock, whilst using a sustainable financial model.

Certainly, we should be aiming to maximise the benefits of available council owned land, but we also have to ensure that we do this using financial models that won’t bankrupt the council.

We will be aiming to deliver as much affordable housing as possible through the programme, with 40 per cent (240 new homes) being the minimum. Solving York’s housing affordability gap won’t happen overnight. This is one important step in the right direction.

Cllr Denise Craghill,

Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods,

Broadway West, York