First time home buyer news: Kelly urged to visit pioneering affordable housing scheme

30-May-2006

Minister Ruth Kelly has been invited to visit a major new affordable housing scheme to provide her with a new way at looking at the problem of finding homes for first time buyers.

Ms Kelly has been given the task of leading the new Department of Communities and Local Government in Westminster and it is hoped that the new department will deliver more innovative solutions to the problem of social housing.

As such, the leader of Midlothian Council has written to Ms Kelly inviting her to look at the work being done in the county to develop 1,000 new affordable homes.

Described as a pioneering project, the council leader Adam Montgomery urged Ms Kelly to make the visit to help her develop new ways of supplying affordable housing to aspiring first time buyers.

While many of the homes currently being built will provide social housing for the council, there will also be a number of affordable housing schemes aimed at first time buyers in the region and the council claims that its methods could be replicated across the country to help increase the number of first time buyers getting onto the first rung of the property ladder.

Mr Montgomery explained: "We are continuing to work with our partners to secure a further 740 units of affordable housing and have specified targets for affordable housing provision in our structure and local plans."

He added: "Midlothian is at the forefront of direct social housing provision in Scotland and we believe our approach has much to recommend it to other local authorities throughout the UK."

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