IAN AUSTIN has warned that the government’s decision to scrap two crucial housing projects in his Dudley North constituency will deny local families the homes they need and put jobs in the building trade at risk.

And he warned that further funds for new council house building projects in Dudley is at risk as well.

Hundreds of homes due to be built at Priory North (Bromford Carinthia Housing Association) and on the site of the Guest Hospital (Lovell Homes’ Priory Park development) were du to be built on the two sites which are amongst 11 schemes being cancelled across the West Midlands.

In total, £230 million cuts in housing investment are being made this year – but details were sneaked out on the Homes and Communities Agency website: http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/public/documents/100525%20HCA%20Briefing%20note%20(3).pdf.

The immediate cuts are to a range of programmes being funded by the previous government including Housing Market Renewal areas, Kickstart funding for housebuilding and the National Affordable Housing Programme.

But other projects in Dudley could be put at risk as money committed for Labour’s new council house building programme and other affordable housing investment is being frozen until the government’s Emergency Budget.

Ian Austin said:

"I worked really hard before the election to get £5.6 million agreed for the new homes at Priory North and I’m furious it has been cut by the new government.

"This will not only leave these sites empty and deny local people the new homes we need, but will hit companies and employees in the building trade too.

"I warned during the election that vital projects in Dudley would be hit under the Conservative plan for immediate cuts and this decision shows that they have broken their promise that the entire £6bn of cuts would be made up of efficiency savings rather than cuts to the frontline."