Community activist Terry Flood has urged the Island's political parties to make housing their number one priority after claiming that the property crisis was as worse as ever.

Mr. Flood, who was involved in the setting up of Bermuda's first housing association in the mid-1980s, said both the Progressive Labour Party and the United Bermuda Party should be concentrating on solving the issue.

And he alleged that if former Bermuda Housing Corporation general manager Ed Cowen was still heading up the quango, there would be fewer problems.

“I feel that no Government could completely solve the housing crisis, but they could work towards it,” said Mr. Flood. “I was very disappointed with the past Housing Minister, Nelson Bascome, but have been pleased so far with Sen. David Burch.

“But I think who ever ends up being the new Government, they should go back to housing associations and condominium boards, and let the residents themselves be more involved - after all, we are the people who are living and working with it.

“And one thing they need to do is build more affordable houses and then emphasise and enforce rules and regulations for living in them.”

Mr. Flood said he had chosen to speak out on the housing crisis because he disagreed with the PLP's claims that much had been done in the last five years to provide more affordable properties.

“I don't see that as being done,” he added. “That's what's made me come out and speak now. If anything, affordable housing has gone up in price. Every party should be making housing a priority, but not a political football. No matter which party you support, you need a house to live in.

“We seem to put more emphasis on locking people up for non-payment of child support and bills, than we do housing. That has to change. We need more rent to buy schemes.”

And Mr. Flood said residents should also be made to follow strict rules and regulations regarding their properties, in a bid to ensure that people paid their rent and acted responsibly.

And he suggested regular six-monthly inspections on rented association properties.

The community activist said he had no sympathy for people who failed to pay their rent and spent their money on less important things, instead.

He added: “We all have to do our part. Government has a responsibility to do something about the crises, and residents have a responsibility to be good neighbours and tenants.”

Housing Minister Sen. Burch was not available for comment last night, but said at a press conference earlier this year that his party was looking at new rent-to-buy schemes, and that Government was encouraging more people to buy properties.

Sen. Burch has clamped down on tenants with ongoing arrears, where no attempt had been made to repay old debts, but he said those who genuinely wanted accommodation and assistance were being given it.

And the Minister said the PLP Government had had to plough so much money into the Bermuda Housing Corporation over the last five years because so many arrears had been allowed to develop.

But yesterday Shadow Housing Minister Michael Dunkley said the United Bermuda Party would make housing a priority and would make massive inroads into the problem with a four-step approach.

He said Bermuda needed a strategy and plan for tackling the issue, which detailed the present and future extent of the problem, what resources were available and where new homes could be added.

Mr. Dunkley said there were a number of people looking to rent, so the UBP had committed to build 100 more affordable homes under the BHC and make them available to rent.

But he said contractors in the private sector must also be given incentives, such as duty relief on materials, in a bid to entice them to build more affordable homes for those who wish to buy.

He said: “We will empower the private sector to get involved and pick up the slack. A lot of building material has to be imported and it is expensive, but there can be various incentives, such as duty relief, to get materials in more affordably.”

Mr. Dunkley said the days of using a large piece of land for one home were largely gone, and now Bermuda needed to look at town houses and town centre blocks more in an effort to use available land better.

He said: “It's a four or five-step plan. You need to do things in tangent to make it successful. We are going to make sure that we get everyone involved in housing, so we can work together and move forward. We need to have a plan where we know what we are going to need in five, ten, 15 years' time. To alleviate the problem, we need a plan.

“If Mr. Flood says it's just as bad as five years, ago, I don't agree. I think it's worse. The housing crisis is definitely worse, but the United Bermuda Party is committed to dealing with it properly.”