Report urges government to spend on homes that threaten health
A small fraction of the 拢1.9bn in housing funding handed back to the Treasury last month could deliver 拢10bn in economic benefits annually if spent on retrofit, according to a new study.
Research by think tank Demos and the Centre for Ageing Better claims that spending just 拢625m each year on improving safety, heating and accessibility would remove potentially fatal hazards in 520,000 homes each year.
There are currently 3.5 million homes in England that pose a serious threat to their occupants鈥� health and the report recommended several policies to facilitate a massive uptake in home improvement work.
The report claimed that every 拢1 invested in repair and improvement generated 拢2 in economic benefits, a ratio it said was much higher than that of housebuilding.
>>See also:The battle SMEs face in reducing their emissions - and proving it
Andrew O鈥橞rien, Director of Policy and Impact at Demos, said: 鈥淎t a time when politicians are scrambling for policies that can unlock economic growth, addressing the poor quality of British homes is a political no-brainer.
鈥淚nvesting in home improvement means more jobs, higher wages and life-changing apprenticeships.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a political lever that can turbo charge productivity and ensure greater value for the taxpayer.鈥�
No comments yet