Welcoming the announcement of 2,000 new council homes, Unite has said the Government needs to move ‘faster and further’ to tackle the severe shortage of social and council housing.

Unite, the largest union in the country, welcomed the recent announcement by John Healey, housing minister, that work is to begin on building more than 2,000 council homes, but said the Government needs ‘to put its foot on the accelerator’.

Jack Dromey, Unite’s deputy general secretary, said: “This welcome step will help build Britain out of recession, providing desperately needed affordable homes and much needed jobs and apprenticeships. We want the Government to go further and faster.”

Earlier this year, Unite unveiled its blueprint, Meeting housing need: Building Britain out of recession, which called for a ‘massive’ council and social house building programme for the 4.5 million people on waiting lists.

Such a programme could act as an engine for economic revival generally, by creating thousands of jobs in the construction industry and its suppliers.