Tackling West Midlands housing 'crisis' would boost economy by £236m - claim
Tackling the housing 'crisis' in the West Midlands would boost the economy by £263million, it has been claimed.
The National Housing Federation also said 5,600 full-time jobs would be created if more affordable homes were built.
Last year 1,790 affordable homes were built in the West Midlands but the federation said this figure should be as high as 7,000 every year.
The federation represents independent non-profit housing associations across the country and says 78,500 homes are needed in England, which could contribute £3.6bn and create 71,000 jobs.
Gemma Duggan, West Midlands manager at the National Housing Federation said: "There are simply not enough affordable homes being built in the West Midlands; people across the region are struggling to find the homes they need at a price they can afford.
"Not building the homes we're going to need represents a failing of generations to come, and a missed opportunity today.
"The numbers show that new homes are more than roofs over heads; they bring wealth to local areas and improve job prospects.
"That's why we're asking that politicians commit to ending the housing crisis within a generation by building more homes now."
The federation estimates that 975 homes are needed in the Black Country which could boost the economy by £36m and make 781 jobs.
In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent the homes figure rises to 1,215, with an estimated £45m increase in the economy and 973 jobs.
The National Housing Federation is part of the Homes for Britain campaign which is calling on the next government to end the housing crisis within a generation.
