More homes are still needed to house the 1.5 million people on council house waiting lists, warns the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to the House of Commons Environment Select Committee report.

Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said: "The fact that Britain is suffering an economic downturn doesn't take away from the fact that there are thousands of families in this country who still need affordable housing. It's nothing short of a scandal that we have 90,000 families living in temporary accommodation and over 1.5 million people on council house waiting lists. Now is not the time to abandon housing targets.


"The solution to the housing crisis is to develop a 'bottom-up approach' with an emphasis on working with local communities to provide the homes that every village, town, and city requires. An emphasis on quality would help overcomes many fears about new housing as would making the planning system speedier and more efficient to deliver new homes."

Mr Berry concluded: "The Government also needs to think about our existing housing stock. A clear, coherent and, most importantly, achievable strategy is needed to ensure that our existing homes are brought up to standard. Facing the challenge of existing housing would also provide an opportunity to bring the seven million homes, in England alone, which the Government says are substandard up to scratch. Making homes more energy efficient, at a time when fuel bills are rising, would benefit millions around the UK, especially the five million currently living in fuel poverty."

(CD/JM)