Housing minister asked to give Bristol better deal

9.42.55am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 24th Jun 2005

Lib Dem Cllr John Kiely is asking the Housing Minister to scrap the housing subsidy system and is backing comments made by Audit Commission housing boss Roy Irwin.

Cllr Kiely, Executive Member for Housing and Adult Social Services, is so concerned about the raw deal that housing in Bristol is receiving from the government that he is asking for a special meeting with Government Housing Minister Yvette Cooper MP. Cllr Kiely explained "The new Liberal Democrat administration is determined to improve council housing in our city but the current Government funding set-up makes this an uphill task. I am seeking a meeting with the Minister to explain fully the problems we are facing and to press hard for some solutions. Currently we are having to make 10% cuts to our estate management programme and yet still send £4 million of our tenants money to other Councils, this surely cannot be right?"

At present the Government system means that Bristol housing tenants pay £4 million a year from their rents to pay for improvements to homes in London and the North West. An Audit Commission report published this week urged the Government to scrap this scheme as being unjust. The calls were led by Roy Irwin, the Audit Commission's Chief Inspector of Housing, who is a former Head of Housing at Bristol Council and are being backed by Cllr John Kiely.

Cllr John Kiely, said "The Government are giving us a double whammy on this one. Firstly they won't give the Council the money they give to other housing providers to help us improve our housing. Secondly they are taking the money that our tenants pay in rents and giving it to other Councils elsewhere in the country. This system is unfair on Bristol housing tenants and it needs to go".