Affordable Housing for Newport

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 20th Sep 2004

Cllr. Len Pattinson is interested in finding ways of providing affordable housing in Newport. At the moment, even the cheapest houses are not affordable to those with young families, and so people born and brought up in Newport are forced to move away from the town in order to find suitable accommodation to rent or buy. With the number of Trust houses reduced by the 'Right to Buy' there are no replacement units being built to serve the needs of local people. Cllr. Brenda Flowers adds that we also need opportunities for learning new skills and keeping alive the old; we need good quality jobs to be available within easy reach; we need improved public transport; but above all we need vision to create the kind of society that meets the needs of all.