Truro and St Austell MP Matthew Taylor has been elected the new chair of the National Housing Federation at its annual conference.
Taylor promised to use his role to make “a difference in the national debate on housing, because it profoundly changes lives. It profoundly shapes the sustainability of communities. And it is central to the economy.”
Taylor said that as MP for Truro and St Austell – an area with some of the most critical housing problems in the country – he has “seen first-hand the impact of poor housing and waiting lists on a range of communities – and the transformation of lives that a decent home makes – and the support to go with it.”
Taylor’s appointment as chair of the National Housing Federation comes at a critical time for the social housing sector as we enter a “post credit crunch, post spending era”.
The National Housing Federation represents 1200 not for profit Housing Associations across the country.
Commenting on the gravity of the current situation, the MP said: “By the end of next year, around five million people will be on a waiting list for affordable housing. More than 2.6 million people will be in overcrowded housing by 2011. And, right now, village communities across the nation are dying as families are priced out of the countryside.”
Taylor went on to say that housing associations across the country will have to develop new funding models to deliver the numbers of new homes needed, and that the Federation would be central to shaping what comes next.
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