SPEAKING OUT ON HOUSING ISSUES

Suzanne Fletcher and Maureen Rigg are at the Brighton Liberal Democrat Conference, and have been to the session on consulting party members on the future of housing policies. They have both made points accepted by the MPs and include :

• The need to look at different ways of helping people with mortgages to remain in their homes when circumstances change, so they do not need to take up scarce social rented housing.
• The need for more local planning control, so that the needs for more housing can be met in consultation with local people. A change to the rules on VAT to make it less attractive to builders to demolish attractive large beautiful houses with gardens in areas such as Eaglescliffe, Yarm, and other parts of Stockton Borough.
• "Decent Standards" for social housing needs to be about what people need and reduce their heating bills, such as new doors and windows. Areas like Stockton would be able to do this with the massive amounts of rent that local people pay that go back to the Government (This was 30% of what was paid last year).

Suzanne Fletcher said " it is important that we have the chance to be able to put over important housing issues that affect people in Stockton", and Maureen Rig added " Demolishing large houses locally is causing so many problems, and it is good to know that the Liberal Democrats in Parliament are taking these issues seriously."