Somerton & Frome MP David Warburton has met representatives of the Homes for the South West (H4SW) group of housing associations to discuss the role of house building – particularly the building of affordable housing - in levelling up the South West's economy.

Chief Executive of Curo and Chair of H4SW, Victor da Cunha, and Executive Director of Abri, Andy Skarzynski, met with David following the launch of H4SW's new manifesto "Building for the Future:

Levelling up the South West's economy with quality, affordable & sustainable housing".

The discussion focussed on issues impacting housing in Somerton & Frome and the need to support local people with more affordable housing, which will bring greater investment and economic activity to the area.

David commented: "House-building is key in making sure we continue to meet the housing needs of people in the South West, and ensuring our region's economy can bounce back stronger after the challenges of Covid-19.

"We need more affordable, sustainable and social housing in Somerton & Frome and I'm ready to work with Homes for the South West to help facilitate this and create not only homes, but also jobs and investment for our communities."

H4SW's manifesto sets out a commitment to a £4 billion programme to deliver 25,000 new homes over the next five years. The manifesto also includes a pledge to increase this by another 20,000 homes if Government can provide additional support.

House building will be critical to the success of the South West's recovery from COVID-19 and addressing longstanding inequalities according to the coalition. The region's job market has been one of the worst hit by the pandemici, highlighting a reliance on low-wage sectors including tourism and hospitality. This sits alongside prohibitively high house prices in many areasii with affordability expected to worsen as house prices across the region continue to soar.

Homes for the South West Chair and CEO of Curo, Victor da Cunha said: "We were very pleased to meet with David Warburton to share Homes for the South West's vision and plans to build for the future in the South West. We believe that more support for housing will be a key factor in enabling the region to build back better from the coronavirus pandemic, which is why we are committing to deliver 25,000 new homes over the next five years."

Executive Director of Abri, Andy Skarzynski commented: "We were delighted to talk with David Warburton about how Homes for the South West can help meet housing need in Somerton & Frome. The South West has a need for 42,000 more homes a year, including 15,000 new, affordable homes. We want to work with Government to help address the significant gap between need and supply so everyone can have a home of their own."

The full manifesto from H4SW can be viewed HERE:

the Homes For South West site