SIR – Whoever said that a week is a long time in politics certainly knew what they were talking about.

The announcement by James Brokenshaw that the Government were going to introduce amendments to the planning rules to ensure that in future those people living in the social housing elements of new housing schemes were not discriminated against by being segregated from those living in other elements of the scheme has conveniently forgotten that it was a Conservative government that stigmatised social housing in the first place.

Mrs Thatcher’s policies decimated the country’s social housing stock by it failure to replace property sold under the Right To Buy scheme and placed a much greater emphasis on the importance of home ownership as the only sensible option for people.

These policies were designed to encourage people to vote Conservatives, to enable developers to make huge profits and to encourage people to see home ownership as the only viable solution to their housing needs.

We are still facing the consequences of this approach today with research suggesting that for every one new social housing unit provided there are eight people/families still waiting.

The Help To Buy scheme, funded by taxation, which our local MP Robin Walker supports, is enabling Persimmon Homes to make £60,000 profit on every sale by the artificial inflation of valuations (Dispatches, Channel 4).

Additionally, it does little to help many of those in real need (National Audit Office).

A problem that has taken decades to manifest itself will, unfortunately, take decades to resolve but as a week is a long time in politics will anyone care?

MIKE LEVINS

Worceste