MP vows to keep pressure on PM

12.00.00am GMT Wed 8th Mar 2006

Tim Farron has today vowed to keep up the pressure on the Prime Minister after the Prime Minister failed to answer the question Tim put to him during Prime Ministers Questions. Tim asked the Prime Minister to act urgently to stop shared ownership properties from being entirely bought out, a process which is eroding the stock of affordable houses in the South Lakes.

Tim has written to the Prime Minister asking him to look again at the issue of shared ownership schemes and specifically to change the rules to remove the current compulsion to have a 'buy-out' clause in shared equity contracts. This clause means that shared equity schemes do not meet the 'affordability' criteria which all new building in the national parks, and 50% of new building in the rest of South Lakeland, now has to meet.

Speaking this afternoon, Tim said: "The Prime Minister failed to appreciate that the point of my question."

"The fact that shared ownership properties can be entirely bought out means that the number of affordable homes is slowing being eroded while the number of people registered as homeless continues to rise."