MP calls for action to cut homelessness (From Daily Echo)
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Southampton MP calls for action to cut homelessness
4:00pm Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News
John Denham MP.
A HAMPSHIRE MP is demanding action to help cut homelessness in the face of figures showing the number living rough on the streets has risen nearly 40 per cent.
Southampton Itchen representative John Denham, pictured, said he has been angered at swingeing cuts to council budgets by the Government, which he said have forced local authorities including Southampton to slash their building plans and rough sleeping support programmes.
The Labour MP said he believes there needs to be a co-ordinated approach to provide more affordable housing and give a jobs guarantee for young people.
Mr Denham said: “It’s a tragedy that at this time of year so many families will be without a permanent roof over their head and an increasing number of people will be sleeping out on our streets.
“The Government can act to change this and it means they have to change their priorities.
“As a result of their failed economic and housing policies to date, house building is down, homelessness is up, we have a mortgage market where people can’t get mortgages and rents are unaffordable for too many in the private rented sector.
“Instead of cutting taxes for millionaires, I want to see changes brought in to reverse the long-termdamage to our economy that this Government’s policies are causing.
“Increasing homelessness is the most heart-breaking of of consequences of this Government."
Comments(2)
Dan Soton
says...
5:31pm Sat 5 Jan 13
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Mr Denham you say homelessness is heart-breaking yet as a member of the Fabian Society you advocate Taxing Southampton's hard working home owners ( exempting council/social letting agency tenants) out of their own homes to shift money/economic activity to Labour's Northern heartland's.
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Mr Denham edited (June 2012) a Fabian pamphlet on 'The Shape of Things To Come'.
HOUSING.
IN THE MEDIUM-TERM, THE ONLY REAL SOLUTION to the inequalities that come from disparity in housing prices across the country – again drawing on the Mirrlees conclusions – IS A PROPERTY TAXATION SYSTEM THAT IS GENUINELY PROGRESSIVE. This would be a political minefield and a consensual case would need to be built for it – and the effects on social tenants would need to be clearly thought through (perhaps council and social letting agency tenants could be exempt). But ultimately it is the only way TO SHIFT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY FROM THE SOUTH-EAST TO OTHER REGIONS, which in itself is a requirement for a more diverse – and so more resilient – economy.
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http://www.fabians.o
rg.uk/publications/t
he-shape-of-things-t
o-come/
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A question for Mr Denham.. do you support a scientifically planned society?
In the early 1900s Fabian Society members advocated the ideal of a scientifically planned society and supported eugenics by way of sterilization. This is credited to the passage of the Half-Caste Act, and its subsequent implementation in Australia.
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http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Fabian_Soci
ety
geoff51 says...
8:31pm Wed 2 Jan 13
This man is a blatant oppotunist who jumps on any bandwagon that he thinks will get him noticed, but I suppose that it is better than Mr invisible Whitehead.
Do youself a favour people of Southampton and dump these two useless politicians as soon as you can.