Press Releases for 2004
Budget poor on housing and the environment
18 March 2004Greens in East Kent and elsewhere are very disappointed in the Budget. Gordon Brown has not taken opportunities to increase housing availability or improve measures to resist climate change (1). Steve Dawe comments:
"Gordon Brown commissioned a considerable amount of research on improving the supply of housing(2). What was the point when he has not undertaken measures to get over 700,000 empty properties back into use? Local councils need to have powers to raise social housing to 50% of new housing developments where house prices have risen dramatically in recent years. Every local authority in East Kent has some empty property, generally about 200-400 units. With insufficient funds, such properties are difficult to get back into use. Research commissioned by Kent County Council shows a shortfall in the supply of social housing continuing into the future due to lack of funds (3), and an unwillingness of councils to use all their urban brownfield sites like car parks and vacant industrial sites."
Dr Molly Scott Cato, The Green Party's economics spokesperson (4), comments: "This has been a disappointing budget for the Greens, with Brown freezing action on climate change and worsening pollution and congestion by reviving the Tory road building programme."
The Green Party would like to see increased ecotaxtion, with the worst polluters being hit the hardest. The Green Party is disappointed that no duty has been introduced on aviation fuel, which could generate a revenue of £9 billion every year which could be spent on improving sustainable forms of transport. ENDS c251 words
FURTHER INFORMATION: Steve Dawe, 01233 645167 or 07904 382203. Contact address: 10 Hillbrow Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 4QH.
Notes:
1. This Budget assessment draws upon the Chancellor's speech - BBC News 24 report, Evening Standard, 17th March 2004 and The Guardian, 18th March 2004.
2. The Barker Review of Housing Supply, released at the same time as the Budget. An interim report had been previously released. Report of the Review in above-mentioned newspapers.
3. Kent and Medway Structure Plan: mapping out the future, Working Paper 8, Affordable and Market Housing Need in Kent and Medway, KCC and Medway councils, September 2003.
4. Dr Molly Scott Cato lectures in Economics at Cardiff.
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