Phil Twyford
Housing Spokesperson

22January 2016

From one waiting list to another

New information shows plans to pay state house tenants to move to the regions will only increase waiting lists in those areas, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says.

“Ms Bennett wants to give people on the Auckland waiting list cash if they agree to move to regions with empty state houses.

“But data out today reveals that some of the areas she is suggesting they move to have more people waiting for homes than the districts they are leaving. For instance someone in Takapuna, with a state house waiting list of 31, could be paid to move to Porirua, where there are 90 people on the waiting list.

“The Government needs to get its act together. There’s been boarded up homes in some of these regions for years, others are tagged for selling off, or have been described as ‘not the right size’ or ‘not in the right place’.

“This proposal will have minimal impact on waiting lists. It’s just another desperate attempt to divert attention from the real problem – a lack of decent affordable houses,” Phil Twyford says.

ENDS

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