PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
HOUSING MARKET RENEWAL (21 June 2011)

That this House recognises the important contribution made by the Housing Market Renewal (HMR) programme in regenerating deprived communities; notes the 2.2 billion invested and the additional private sector investment attracted under the programme since 2002; welcomes the contribution the programme made to the 12 pathfinder areas covered under the scheme Birmingham/Sandwell, East Lancashire, Hull and East Riding, Manchester/Salford, Merseyside, Newcastle/Gateshead, North Staffordshire, Oldham/Rochdale, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, West Cumbria, and Tees Valley; further welcomes the findings of the report by the Audit Commission published in February 2011 that HMR made a substantial contribution to improving housing and economic circumstances in some of the country's most deprived areas; regrets the Government's decision to close the HMR programme with effect from the end of March 2011 just eight years into its anticipated 15 year programme; expresses grave concern at the sudden termination of the programme and the risk of undermining previous investments; further welcomes the Government's announcement on 9 May 2011 to provide 30 million for five of the HMR pathfinder areas; however believes that this level of funding does not compensate those areas for the loss of the wider Housing Market Renewal programme; further notes that other HMR areas will not receive any funding and many residents could be left stranded in desperate circumstances; and calls on the Government to develop a coherent strategy for renewing the housing market and housing for the most deprived areas of the UK.

Sponsored by:
Steve Rotheram (Labour)