Government Homes Investment still leaves thousands of Cornish people in housing limbo – George 

In response to today’s Government announcement on funding for its Social and Affordable Homes Programme, Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (St Ives) has made the following statement, which is also available on his social media. 

“Rewards for Metro-Mayors. Disappointment for Cornwall’s families in desperate housing need. 

“The Government’s homes investment announcement today may be welcome news for Metro Mayors, but it leaves tens of thousands of Cornish people in prolonged housing desperation limbo. 

“I warned government ministers their misguided and undeliverable housing targets for places like Cornwall would prove counterproductive – and would simply allow land-value speculators to fill their boots, drive up the cost of development land, encourage developments of unaffordable homes and further limit opportunities for desperately needed homes for locals. 

“There are already hundreds of shovel-ready projects which could deliver thousands of desperately needed social homes tomorrow, including in Cornwall, but the government needs to invest now. 

“Government housebuilding targets are founded on a delusion – that private developers will collude with government in driving down the price of their finished product. It’s difficult enough to deliver genuinely affordable homes for locals with a planning system fuelled by greed rather than need. The government’s planning policy has made that problem worse. So their welcome housing budget will produce fewer homes. 

“It’s so depressing to see just another empty press release, when the answers are staring ministers in the face.”