Housing crisis doesn't end with housing shortfall

Ulster Unionist Party MLA Fred Cobain has warned that the current crisis facing the Housing Executive will not end with a shortfall in housing but will serve to stretch an already overburdened budget.

As news of a £35 million black hole in the Housing Executive budget emerged today, the Chief Whip of the UUP stressed that this deficit will also mean that necessary maintenance and improvement measures could also be affected.

Commenting on the issue Mr Cobain said; "The news of the shortfall is one of great concern however the issue surrounding the lack of 'new-build' properties is not the only subject of concern. Looking at the figures a huge gap is evident - yes there will be an impact on the target for new homes, but it also means that maintenance services will be restricted to emergency and urgent repairs, no heating contracts will be started, no kitchen replacements will commence and grants approvals will be rationed. This is the real story and this is where the real story emerges."

"The issue is that people believe nothing is being done to quell the problems surrounding social housing. It is not enough for the Executive to say that the budget is insufficient - that is nonsense - they should have foreseen what was going to happen and prioritized housing."

"The grim reality is that this will have a huge impact locally especially for those who already feel the impact of the current global economic climate including pensioners and those on a lower wage scale. These are the very people that this financial assistance is supposed to help.It is time the Executive looked at this shortfall. The issue needs to be assessed urgently."