BOLTON MP Brian Iddon has praised moves to bring housing into the town centre.

Speaking at the annual lunch of the Portico Housing Association, he said: "I have always advocated housing in the town centre and resisted attempts by town planners to zone it out.

"I was particularly pleased, therefore, to see the development at Silverwell Street, which I know was hard fought for.

"I was a judge for the competition for your Kensington Place development and it has been interesting for me to see it take shape. Congratulations on your efforts to bring life back to our town centre.

"As you know, John Prescott, the Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, has set a target for at least 60pc of all new build to be on 'recycled land'.

"Keep your eyes on other town centre sites, especially that at Bath Street."

Dr Iddon, Labour MP for Bolton South-east and a former Bolton housing committee chairman, said the previous Tory government had created a housing crisis by insisting on "market rents" for council properties, shifting the cash subsidy from homes to benefits.

He said the Government had released extra cash to build houses but warned that that would only bring the situation back to where it was a few years ago.

He urged the Government to allow local authorities to borrow against their very considerable rent incomes to build more properties.

And he urged the reform of housing benefit but said: "This will be the last of the welfare reforms to be addressed because the problem has become so complex. We will be lucky to see any changes of the life of this Parliament, in my opinion."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.