Shame of low housing rank

There are many excellent councils across the country, of all political persuasions, that would use such powers responsibly – but what will happen when those powers are given to less responsible councils?

Arun District Council, with an increase of 266 per cent in the last five years, has the fastest-growing local authority housing register in the whole of the south east region (source: National Housing Federation Home Truths 2009 report).

That's bottom out of 74 councils! Arun didn't get to the bottom of this list by accident.

If housing targets are no longer to be set at national or regional level, then isn't there a risk that underperforming councils will continue to underperform?

It will be interesting to see how the government intends to address the issue of councils that consistently fail to make adequate housing provision for their communities.

The answer may give us an indication as to whether the coalition intends to govern seriously, or simply to abdicate responsibility.

There are more than 24,000 young people under the age of 16 in Arun, all of whom will require a home in the next few years, and they have a vested interest in the answer.

Tony Dixon,

Barons Close,

Westergate

* All letters to the editor must include a name and address for publication

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