Heatley like a stuck record on social housing

In the latest Government re-announcement, this time around social housing, Minister Phil Heatley is boasting of a record spend. Like the Prime Minister, Mr Heatley appears not to be good at reading the fine print, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Annette King says.

“Here we not only have the minister re-confirming what was announced in the Budget in May, but making some rather grandiose statements.

“Mr Heatley says the $104.1 million allocated in this year’s budget is the ‘largest single Government investment ever made in community housing’

“This is inconsistent with what he was saying earlier this year when he first announced the $104.1 fund.

“At that stage grants to non-government housing bodies were actually being cut – from $37.4 million last year to $34 million this year, with an average of $35 million to be spent over each of the next two years.

“It’s patently obvious that Mr Heatley has failed to convince his Cabinet colleagues that housing is a priority and is now having to come up with some fancy framing around where he’s going to spend his budget.

“Pointing out that Auckland and Christchurch are priorities wouldn’t have stretched his brain. Christchurch has been devastated by some earthquakes and Auckland is our fastest growing city.

“Gilding the lily is one thing, actually cementing something in is another,” Annette King said.