MPs launch inquiry into South East housing

• South East Committee

The Committee would specifically welcome views on the following questions:

• How many new houses would be needed to support the economy and social needs of the South East?
• Where should these houses be built to satisfy housing needs in the most sustainable way?
• What types and tenure of new houses should be built? How many need to be ‘affordable’? Is housing provided for older people in the South East fit for purpose? Should all new homes meet the necessary energy efficiency requirements?
• What are the consequences of the increased number of multiple occupancy of houses in the South East? How is this affected by the enforcement of greenbelt area? What effect does this have on the ageing housing stock in historic areas?
• Are the new houses being built creating ‘sustainable communities’, covering issues including affordability, eco-ratings, mix of housing types, and whether adequate social and environmental infrastructure is being provided?
• Why are we failing to meet targets for completion of new houses?
• What impact will the recession have on the provision of housing, and the associated infrastructure, in the South East?
• What are the social and economic consequences of a shortage in housing supply in the South East?
• What are the roles of regional bodies, such as the Government Office for the South East and the Homes and Communities Agency, in providing housing in the South East?
• Are the governance and partnership relationships between central government, regional agencies, local government, neighbouring regions and the private sector working effectively to deliver housing in the South East?

Submissions should be received by Wednesday 27 January 2010.

A copy of the submission should be sent by e-mail to regionalcommittees@parliament.uk and marked "South East Regional Committee Inquiry". The Committee's strong preference is for submissions in electronic form, although hard copy originals will be accepted and should be sent to Emma Sawyer, Senior Committee Assistant, at: Regional Committees, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA.

Each submission should:

• be no more than 3,000 words in length
• begin with a short summary in bullet point form
• have numbered paragraphs
• be in Word format or a rich text format (if in electronic form) with as little use of colour or logos as possible.

A guide for written submissions to Select Committees (pdf)

For Data Protection purposes, it would be helpful if individuals submitting written evidence send their contact details separately in a covering letter. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please supply a postal address so that a copy of the Committee's report can be sent to you upon publication.

Please also note that once submitted, evidence is the property of the Committee. The Committee will normally, although not always, choose to make public the written evidence it receives, by publishing it on the internet (where it will be searchable), by printing it or by making it available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure. The Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.