XN000022-1973-11-28 — Page 12

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Wednesday, November 28, 1973

"This ensures that the sort of family for which public housing

was intended when the original limits were set will continue to be

eligible," he said.

Mr. Lightbody said that even at this early stage in the programme,

there was a temptation to ask whether we could meet our targets by 1983.

"The public housing programme does not stand alone," he said, "it is

part of a very large corporate effort involving many other departments of the

government, and time must be allowed for the necessary planning to be done

and groundwork to be laid." An essential first stage was the setting up

of Public Works Department teams in each New Town under a Project Manager.

Mr. Lightbody went on: "Some of the timing assumptions on which

the 10-year housing programme rests will no doubt change in some degree

as New Town development plans are further refined, but taking the 10-year

period as a whole we have grounds today for expressing confidence that

we have not been set (or set ourselves) an impossible task."

He said the Authority hoped to raise standards on new public housing

estates to avoid creating buildings that would qualify for the "slum" label

in 10 or 15 years! time. Provided additional loan funds were made available,

public housing would in future be allocated at 50 square foot a head

instead of at the present rate of 35 square feet.

Mr. Lightbody emphasised that no assumptions could be made at

this stage as to the final outcome of the approach which the Authority

would now make to the government for additional loan funds needed to

implement this decision. At the same time, the Authority would have to

look closely at its own cash-flow position to see if it could reduce its

need for loan funds.

/He said