Repossession figures paint inaccurate picture

Fri, 03 Feb 2012

Repossession figures reported by Metro paint an inaccurate picture of the current situation in the UK, it has been claimed.

Housing minister Grant Shapps noted the article - which suggested such instances reached their highest levels since 2009 in the third quarter of 2011 - gave a misleading representation.

Mr Shapps suggested the story was wrong to lump together statistics on the evictions of homeowners, social tenants and private renters.

The politician explained such calculations overlook government work that is striving to provide struggling families with the support they require.

Repossession remains a last resort for the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, while the number of homes being taken into possession are likely to be lower than forecasted by the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Mr Shapps stated: "We have taken decisive action to tackle the record deficit we inherited, preventing the need for rapid increases in interest rates that would have put a strain on family budgets."

According to the Metro article, 16,600 dwellings were taken away from individuals in the third quarter of last year, which represented an increase of 20 per cent.

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