Scheme for 100,000 new homes in England will put pressure on SNP to launch initiatives for building north of Border

UK Political Correspondent

Sunday 2 October 2011

The Conservatives will today announce plans for 100,000 new homes to be built in England, sparking calls for more initiatives to drive up housebuilding in Scotland.

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by Kate Devlin

The Tories hope the announcement will help Cameron fight claims that his government is doing little to stimulate the economy.

Swathes of land with disused buildings in England will be released alongside the addition of new financial incentives to building firms, the party will say as it begins its annual conference.

The homes plan will include a “buy now, pay later” policy for builders to encourage them to start work immediately. The Conservatives also estimate that the scheme could potentially create as many as 20,000 jobs. Housing is devolved to the Scottish Government, but the Tory move will lead to calls for a similar policy to be adopted by the SNP.The announcement will come just hours after a senior member of the Conservatives savaged the Coalition’s growth plans. Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, denounced Tory policies as “piecemeal”. The UK Government lacked a “coherent and credible” plan for growth, he warned. The conference comes as the Coalition faces severe pressure over its handling of the economy. Less than a fortnight ago the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the Government might have to abandon its austerity drive if there was no growth soon. But ministers refuse to divert from “Plan A” and insist that the world’s economic problems make cutting public spending and the budget deficit more important than ever. In what was widely perceived as an admission that his party’s plans had been unsuccessful so far, Cameron had vowed to slash red tape and help businesses. But yesterday he came out fighting, insisting that the UK Government has an “incredibly active” strategy for growth. Tory Chancellor George Osborne also appeared to rule out tax cuts before the next General Election. Osborne said he would reduce taxes only when he was sure that he could keep them down. “Tax cuts should be for life, not just for Christmas,” he said. His comments come just days after Labour pledged it would use the expected “windfall” from billions of pounds worth of bank shares owned by the Government to pay down the national debt instead of lowering taxes. Other policies announced on the eve of the conference included plans for a new NHS telephone number in England which will restore out-of-hours services for non-emergencies and prevent patients clogging up casualty wards unnecessarily. Last night Labour accused the Tories of having failed on the economy. Chris Leslie, the Shadow Treasury Minister, said: “It’s time the Chancellor started listening to people like Andrew Tyrie, as well as the CBI and Federation of Small Businesses who have also warned in the last few days that the Government needs to do more.” The Labour Party also rounded on Defence Secretary Liam Fox after he blamed the Ministry of Defence in part for the savage cuts to the Armed Forces announced earlier this year. The plans will see two RAF bases in Scotland close.

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Scheme for 100,000 new homes in England will put pressure on SNP to launch initiatives for building north of Border

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