The leader of the Swindon Green Party has called on the Labour-led administration at Swindon Borough Council to secure new funding aimed at easing pressure on local housing.
Tom Butcher, the party’s council leader, says the authority should take advantage of available national funding to build more social and affordable homes for residents in Swindon.
Call for Ambition on Social Housing
Cllr Butcher said the town faces growing pressure on housing, with long waiting times for people seeking council homes.
“We’ve got to be ambitious with building new social housing,” he said.
“Swindon Borough Council has a waiting list of over four years for the housing register, and with the financial position the council is in they simply can’t afford to build more without external funding.
“We want to see houses going up, waiting lists going down, and warm and energy-efficient homes of the future for our Swindon residents.”
Funding Opportunity Approaching
The first opportunity for councils to bid for the multi-billion-pound funding programme will open in April, with additional funding rounds expected to follow.
The Greens say securing this funding could help increase the number of social and affordable homes built locally while improving the energy efficiency of future housing developments.
