ST ALBANS MP Kerry Pollard has written to Prime Minister Tony Blair to ask him to act to tackle the housing crisis in Hertfordshire.

Mr Pollard's letter, sent jointly with Mr David Bogle, head of a housing association in Hemel Hempstead, argues that increasing numbers of local people are excluded from the market through rising prices, and the number of homeless families in temporary accommodation is also rising.

He has stressed that housing associations have trouble finding land for affordable developments because the supply of council-owned land has dried up and they are unable to compete with private enterprise. Among the measures he has urged are increasing social housing grants to enable housing associations to compete with the private sector, and key worker for rent schemes to meet the demand from teachers, health workers and police officers who could afford intermediate rents between social housing and market levels.

Mr Pollard has also called for county councils to be allowed to dispose of land and buildings to housing associations for key worker or affordable housing without being penalised financially. He said: "The Government's initiatives to increase spending on social housing and improve the planning system have been most welcome, but more investment is still needed. These measures would substantially alleviate the housing problems in Hertfordshire."

June 13, 2002 10:00