LIB DEMS WIN BREATHING SPACE FOR GUILDFORD AND WAVERLEY OVER HOUSING CASH GRAB

12.00.00am GMT Wed 29th Jan 2003

Sue Doughty and her Lib Dem Colleagues have persuaded the government to agree to take its time before forcing Guildford and Waverley to hand over money from council house sales to go to councils elsewhere.

Sue Said:

"The Government has agreed to phase in the changes rather than implementing them all at once. This is a meagre change but is welcome. However, it remains a betrayal by the Labour party of those people who have supported them in the hope of change. The sad thing is that the government does not understand that if you are poor in Surrey you are in an impossible position when you have nowhere to liver, especially if you have family.

Although the Government will be taking our housing cash away, I shall be making a Strong case for them to use it to reinvest in housing for local people. Local Government housing has been maintained using the money that tenants have paid in their rents, and all of us have paid in council tax. It is quite wrong to take it away from here, when in other areas unoccupied houses are being knocked down."