1,342 family homes repossessed in Oldham County Court area in 2007

5.17.00pm GMT Wed 20th Feb 2008

Too many families in Oldham Borough are losing their homes because of difficulties over mortgage payments, says leading local Liberal Democrat campaigner Elwyn Watkins.

New figures show that 1,342 orders for home repossession were issued by Oldham County Court in 2007. This is a rise of 14% on the previous year.

"These repossession orders mean 1,342 families being turfed out of the house they have lived in, often for many years," said Elwyn Watkins.

"This means that about one in every hundred families in this area lost their home in 2007 alone - chances are we all know someone who has suffered due to successive Labour Chancellors' mismanagement of the economy.

"Many people remember the boom and bust policies of the last Conservative government that saw tens of thousands of people lose their home because they could not keep up with mortgage payments. Now it looks as though the current Labour Government has blundered into a similar mess.

"The Government has failed to ensure there are enough homes to meet people's needs. For every ten families on the waiting list in England for social housing in 1997, when Labour came to power, there are now sixteen.

"And Gordon Brown has run an economy that has been fuelled by a runaway credit boom he has done little to bring under control.

"1,342 families in 2007 paid the price for growing economic incompetence by Gordon Brown in Oldham Borough. There are now serious concerns that in 2008, the situation will get worse."