Local houses for local people

Yet another slogan that will prove difficult legally and cause damage if allowed.

The legal problem is that it will apparently infringe the recently promoted equality Bill of Harriet Harman, where the duty of all public bodies will be to promote equality, i.e. reduce socio-economic disadvantage. If two people otherwise equal in other needs, size of family, health, etc., are "competing" for the same house, it must be allocated to the poorer. Allocating on the basis of former locality does not come into the reckoning.

There is also the massive problem that if the poor and unwaged are to be given priority, then those from away who have received a job offer locally will find it more difficult to find somewhere to live. Mobility will be reduced, national output reduced and we shall all be poorer.

Poorer accommodation will be granted to the poor, and sink estates will be promoted.

G.Brown has done this to acquire "brownie " points, otherwise called votes, of course. The object is to try to win back support from his core vote who have flirted with the BNP.