Shelter says housing plans will cut child poverty

Shelter has said government plans to significantly increase social housing, announced yesterday, would help achieve its target of abolishing child poverty by 2020.

The charity said the housing green paper, which promised £8bn in government spending on housing from 2008-11, a £3bn increase on 2005-8 levels, was a “significant step” to tackle a “housing crisis” engulfing Britain.

Housing minister Yvette Cooper promised that 45,000 new social homes would be built each year by 2010-11, double the 2004 level, with a long-term goal of 50,000 a year.

The green paper also said high-performing councils would get increased access to housing grants to boost supply.

However, Help the Aged criticised the paper for failing to adequately address the need for new homes to be more adaptable, to meet the needs of older people.