Clegg: Brown’s complacency has cost thousands of families their homes

12.15.00pm GMT Fri 20th Feb 2009

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today accused Gordon Brown of wasteful complacency following figures released today showing that the number of homes repossessed last year rose by 54% to 40,000.

Nick Clegg said:

"Tens of thousands of families are going through the pain and misery of losing their homes while the Government dithers.

"Just over a year ago I asked Gordon Brown whether he accepted the prediction that house repossessions would skyrocket by 50%.  He ignored the warnings but repossessions have risen exactly as predicted.

"It is a scandal that Gordon Brown has been sitting on his hands when he has had a whole year to prepare for the worst. 

"The much-publicised Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme announced last year has not yet helped a single family in trouble.

"The Prime Minister’s wasteful complacency means that millions of extra families could be added to already full social housing lists.

"If the Government was serious about stemming the tide of repossessions, it would give courts the power to ensure that repossession is the absolute last resort and remove the barriers to allow councils to invest in social housing."