The biggest order of social housing for decades has seen Gordon Brown demand councils across the UK to start building.

Changes expected within months means rules are to be relaxed to pave the way for more social housing.

The scale of this new building is huge, but the demand is even bigger – currently there are over 4.5 million people waiting for social housing and numbers are expected to increase further.

The government have also seen this as an opportunity to help kick start the building industry which has declined rapidly in the economic downturn.

Gordon Brown told council leaders “But, today, let me be clear: if local authorities can convince us that they can deliver quickly, and cost effectively, more of the housing that Britain needs . . . then we will be prepared to give them our full backing and put aside anything that stands in their way.”

Further Reading
Gordon Brown orders thousands of new council houses – The Times