Housing charity Shelter, backed by the BPF, has called on the government to tackle the overcrowded living conditions which are blighting the lives of thousands of UK children.
Housing minister Yvette Cooper was this morning presented with personal journals and a 5,000-signature petition by children living in overcrowded conditions.
The presentation on Collage Green at the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, forms part of a campaign, led by housing charity Shelter and supported by the British Property Federation, calling for the government to end bad housing.
Shelter is requesting an update to the statutory definition of overcrowding, which has not been changed since 1935, and a commitment to build more family-sized social rented homes.
According to Shelter, under current rules, a family of four living in a one bedroom flat would not be classed as overcrowded
This presentation follows the publication of the BPF’s Housing Manifesto, which calls on the government to sort out the private rented sector as a solution to creating an affordable housing lottery.
Two weeks ago the Department for Communities and Local Government issued a discussion paper on raising the overcrowding standard suggesting possible solutions to the problem.
Cooper said the government had allocated £20m to tackle overcrowded council homes in London and they were consulting on options to update the definition of overcrowding.
The Barker Review, a treasury-commissioned enquiry into housing supply led by Bank of England economist Kate Barker, highlighted the housing crisis and recommended the building of 23,000 extra homes per year, of which the government has committed to building 10,000.
References: EGi News 26/07/06
