THE Government has been charged with leaving 15,000 Hyndburn home owners in the lurch with properties in need of serious renovation but no money to afford it.

The constituency's MP Greg Pope also pointed out that a council estate, Sands in Rishton, was now in such a bad way that only desperate people would accept a house there.

The Labour backbencher launched his attack on the Government's failure to provide the money needed to improve and modernise homes in his Hyndburn constituency and throughout East Lancashire.

In particular he highlighted the government's unworkable system where councils were supposed to pay out mandatory grants for house renovation but not given any money to pay for it.

This had created a massive backlog of older property awaiting vital work.

Now the Government had decided to scrap the system but not replace it with anything else.

He told housing minister David Curry: "Most of the housing in my constituency, and in East Lancashire generally, was constructed during the Industrial Revolution.

"Also it served its purpose. As towns expanded, houses were built fairly rapidly and, inevitably, some corners were cut."

Pointing out that four out of five homes in Hyndburn were privately owned, he continued: "Much of the original housing remains. More than half of the houses in my constituency were built before the First World War.

"Decay in those properties has been unavoidable and there are now around 9,500 homes in need of statutory intervention because they are unfit for habitation.

"Another 5,500 homes need immediate assistance to avoid becoming unfit in the near future. So 15,000 homes require serious renovation.

"The minister would not disagree that it is broadly unacceptable in this day and age that 15,000 families in my constituency should live in sub-standard housing."

But Mr Curry only told Mr Pope that the mandatory grant system had failed and that the Government was introducing a more strategic approach which would help Hyndburn deal with the problem.

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