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Jim Tolson - Press Release
14 Sept 2006
Tolson Demands fair affordable housing for Fife
Jim Tolson, Opposition Spokesperson for Adult Services demanded that Fife Council's Labour Administration put their affordable housing plans into practise. The call came at last Thursday's Policy & Resources meeting of Fife Council where the Administration presented a paper under the 'Affordable Housing Programme 2006/2007'.
Mr Tolson said:
“Both Fife Council and Communities Scotland have agreed the areas of greatest need for affordable housing in Fife by granting one area (the East Nuek and St. Andrews) Pressured Area Status and working towards PAS for other areas in Fife (including parts of Dunfermline and most of the West Fife Villages). Yet today we are asked to dispose of land, at much less than its true value, for a number of sites where there is actually too much affordable housing! When will this Labour administration start to realise that the longer they delay buying property in East Fife, the more it will cost to implement their own and independently accredited policy of putting affordable housing in what even the Labour Housing Spokesperson (Alex Sawers) described at last week’s meeting as ‘a chronic situation in East Fife’.
Mr Tolson continued:
“The cynics amongst us might think they are trying to get new houses in place in certain areas of Fife just in time for next May’s elections but they ignore the housing time bomb that could see many East Fife businesses fold as their staff can’t afford to live within a reasonable travelling distance of their work.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1 Date of Policy & Resources meeting referred to was Thursday 7 September 2006
2 Jim Tolson is Fife council's Opposition Spokesperson for Adult services which includes all housing related matters.
3 Jim Tolson is also the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Dunfermline West seat of the Scottish Parliament