Conservatives support more investment in more council houses

FLASHBACK TO OCTOBER 2015: District Councillor Mark Howell at the site of the then new council houses in Swavesey.

Council leaders have called on the government not to tie up in red tape an opportunity to deliver hundreds of new council houses.

The call from South Cambridgeshire District Council follows an announcement by Teresa May, the Prime Minister, at the 2018 Conservative party conference that the cap on borrowing will be scrapped – it currently means the Council cannot access more funding to build council houses.

But scrapping of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) cap could mean hundreds of new homes can be delivered faster.

Cllr Mark Howell, who was South Cambridgeshire District Council’s cabinet member for housing under the previous administration, commented: "The rising of the HRA cap is excellent news as South Cambridgeshire Conservative councillors have been lobbing government ministers for this for many years.

"Conservative councillors started the council house building programme in South Cambridgeshire and have continued to push for further funding to continue to do so.

"Heidi Allen, our MP, has supported South Cambs Conservatives in pressing their case and we are delighted to see the government have agreed with our suggestion."

Councillors have already said delivering more housing which is affordable for everyone to live in is a top priority – under the previous Conservative administration, even with restrictions in place, almost 100 council homes were built in the last three years.

SCDC has plans for up to a further 200 new council houses to be built over the next five years – but councillors have said if the government puts trust in councils, the additional borrowing could deliver many more homes for local people.

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Mark Howell

Mark is District Councillor for Caxton & Papworth and County Councillor for Cambourne

Councillor Mark Howell
2 Vinter Close
Papworth Everard
CB23 3RU

01480 831 848

cllr.howell@scambs.gov.uk

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South Cambridgeshire Conservative Association

You can write or visit us at:

South Cambridgeshire Conservative Association
Broadway House
149-151 St Neots Road
Hardwick
CB23 7QJ

01954 211 444
scca@southcambsconservatives.co.uk

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