RESPONDING to the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report released today (Wednesday) Gordon MacRae, head of External Relations, Shelter Scotland, the housing and homelessness charity, said:
“Over the last few months, there’s been two ways to increase housing investment in 2010. The first was a plea to the UK Chancellor to accelerate capital investment from future years. This was a call made by Shelter Scotland, the Scottish Government and opposition parties. On first reading, this appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
“We are now back to looking at the second option, which is to allocate more of the Scottish Budget for next year into affordable homes.
“That’s why we’re calling on Scottish Ministers to make the Scottish budget a Budget for Homes. It is not too late to boost spending on affordable housing. Shelter Scotland has written to all MSPs to urge them to put forward the case for an increase in spending on affordable housing as the budget makes its way through Parliament in the coming months.” (1)
Shelter Scotland’s high profile campaign is calling for investment to build 10,000 affordable rented homes a year to help combat the lowest level of social housing for 50 years and help house the hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland waiting for a home. (2)
He added “The extension of the mortgage interest scheme is particularly welcome as it will mean thousands of low income homeowners being able to avoid repossession over the next six months.
“Measures like the Homeowner Mortgage Support scheme have made a real difference in helping struggling homeowners keep their homes. But with unemployment continuing to rise, thousands of people are still at risk of repossession and it’s vital a long term safety net is put in place to support people in need.”
Shelter Scotland’s budget briefing is available at here or contact the media office on 0844 515 2442.
Press release on campaign launch here.
MEDIA RELEASE posted by Shelter Scotland. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Christina Cran, Nicola Baxter
Phone: 0844 515 2442
Website: http://www.shelter.org.uk
