Re: Millions invested in emergency housing (Times article by Chris Harrowell, November 16).
National MP Simeon Brown is appalled at the cost of emergency housing. Well he might be, but it was National that sold the state houses. Those houses provided a safe and healthy environment for low-income earners. After the sales, their choice was between renting a sordid house, a crowded house or camping in a car.
By scrapping the apprenticeships, National forced our future tradesmen to look overseas. Not enough tradesmen equals not enough houses being built.
Now Labour is trying to fix this serious lack of judgment by reintroducing the apprenticeship scheme and building in spite of the difficulties due to Covid and the war. Fortunately.
In an interview in July 2020, the National housing spokesperson Jacqui Dean claimed that under Mr Key’s government, 30,000 houses were built – that is 30,000 in 9 years – actually it was only 3000. There were no lockdowns, no Covid and no Russian war.
Mr Brown, do we, as a nation, want people living in emergency accommodation or do we want them sleeping on benches?
Brigitte Horne, Howick
