Rob White, Green general election candidate for the Reading East constituency, has today spoken out regarding Reading's troubling housing situation.

This follows the recent report by Shelter which calculated that it would take Reading council well over seven years to clear their housing backlog. Shelter says a total of 82 authorities would take between a decade and 33 years to clear their waiting lists - or until 2019 to 2042.

In 2008/9 Reading had 4834 people on their council housing waiting list.

Speaking today, Rob White, said: "I am horrified by these figures. With Christmas fast approaching, I can imagine how difficult it must be for families living in temporary accommodation, or waiting to be moved. And with the weather getting colder by the day, it is unacceptable that we should even have one homeless person sleeping on the streets in the UK. In Reading, there are many charities doing wonderful work with those forced to sleep rough. But they cannot solve the problem on their own."

White, who hopes to become Green MP for Reading East, continued "The Green Party believes that the Government has a key role to play in addressing the housing crisis by employing building workers in a large programme of environmentally sustainable social housing, creating both new homes and new jobs. And locally, the Council has a responsibility to make extra efforts to ensure empty buildings are brought into use. Greens strongly advocate extra support to enable the homeless to get off the streets and into safe accommodation."

"Many families are forced to leave the town because they cannot find affordable homes, and workers such as nurses, teachers and local government employees struggle to afford to live in the communities they work for. The Council needs to introduce first time buyer grants, which would revive the private housing market, and stop the sale of council houses in order to put an end to this postcode lottery of housing."

ENDS

Notes for the Editor

1. For more information please contact Rob White on 07985 923938 or 0118 9667183.
2. Green Park Ward candidate Rob White polled 994, and came within 20 votes of becoming Reading's first Green councillor at the last local elections in Reading. At the last general election he stood in Reading East and increased the Green vote by over 50% polling 1548.
3. For the full report please see: http://england.shelter.org.uk/news/december_2009/over_10_years_to_clear_waiting_lists

Printed and promoted by Robert White, 22 Cumberland Rd, Reading, RG1 3LB. Both on behalf of Reading Green Party.