Council houses are being built

WITH a growing population and 6,500 on social housing waiting lists in Newcastle alone, the demand for good quality new homes across our region has never been higher.

Residents need a home. It’s a basic human right. In Newcastle the city council wants people to have a home of choice. A choice of buying or renting. A choice of where and a choice of housing provider.

Until recently central government has prevented local authorities from building council houses. Newcastle City Council is changing that and are building homes that help people in the community to live well, with support if needed.

For the first time in 30 years over 1,000 homes were built in the city last year alongside 1,700 in neighbouring authorities.

But this isn’t enough to keep up with demand. House

building is crucial to economic and social growth on Tyneside and Northumberland.

That’s why the three North of Tyne councils are working with a range of housing bodies to get things moving. To date The North of Tyne Housing Board has been established, bringing together a range of people, including elected representatives, registered landlords, housing associations and charities to provide specialist advice to the new Combined Authority.

By thinking long term and using as much usable public land as possible, the Board will continue to look for innovative ways to grow the regional economy by building better homes to meet the needs of everyone, including affordable and specialist housing for older people and those with disabilities.

Of course we need a dose of realism here. Sometimes this means local communities lose some of their green space. In Newcastle local councillors are working hard to strike a balance between the need to construct new homes and the essentials of green space for quality of life.

And we’re ensuring that transport links and new facilities are included to build neighbourhoods, not just homes. COUN GED BELL, COUN ANYA DURRANT and COUN STEPHEN LAMBERT