Fears of recession deepen as the housing industry faces a serious slump - and serious implications for jobs.
Today, major players Bovis and Redrow have revealed they are in the process of shedding about 40 per cent of their workforce - 400 jobs at Bovis, and around 550 at Redrow.
The news comes a day after another housebuilder, Persimmon, announced that 1,100 full-time staff had been cut since January.
Last week, other developers including Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Developments together revealed around 3,200 job losses. Why? Because the demand for homes to buy has been drastically hit by rising prices, falling wages, and general fear of economic downturn. Yet affordable homes are needed now more than ever.
The slump in the homeowner market could be used as an opportunity for now redundant development sites to be transformed into places where social housing could be built. Thousands live in sub-standard rented accommodation. The Government should step in and facilitate the building by local authorities or housing associations of much-needed homes for rent. And save the jobs of thousands of building workers in the process
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
LET'S BUILD MORE SOCIAL HOUSING - NOT LAY PEOPLE OFF
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8 comments:
Again, a progressive left wing polcy that makes economic, political and social? sense, John Mc has blogged about this as well: there is a major crisis in housing in the UK and NL's policy of using the free market to solve it has failed. Unless a massive housebuilding programme is embarked on, I see real dangers of social tensions growing as people look to blame others for their problems with accomodation, etc.
It can of course boost the local economys of cities, etc who will now be struggling because of again
trickle down regeneration strategies
But as JM says something must be done in the PRS as well, tenants have so little rights and can be pushed around at will, the left must take up these issues as well.
that should say
'becaue of failed 'trickle down' regeneration strategies
excellent post
couldnt UCATT work this up
something we could get (try) to get councils to sign up to and expose Tory, Liberal hostility to affordable housing
Council have spent millions getting rid of council housing stock, and you think now they want to rebuild your of course joking. The only way forward right now is through the Housing associations, my council offered us free kitchens free upgrades of bath rooms and many other things to sign over to a Housing association when we refused they did it anyway.
Minister John Hutton, who the F*** does he think he is to order a report run by private companies on how we can privatise more public services
lets recall the thousands of patients who have died as a result of hospital infections caused by private sector cleaning of our hospitals driving down standards, or the PFI rip off, or computers in the NHS
Hutton is only doing gthios to get a job with a private company after the elction
he should be expelled along with the other entryists
The redundant builders should be encouraged to form a co-operative to construct social housing.
UCATT and the government could facilitate it.
New Labour loves the third sector.
Hutton really is disgusting. He is a Tory.
I really do feel that whilst we urgently need more social housing the emphasis should be placed on rejuvenating empty housing first - it is far more sustainable.
PS Word verification is a total pain to those of us with poor eyesight...
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