Yesterday, Matthew welcomed Prime Minister Theresa May to Edgware to see the successful regeneration of Stonegrove and Spur Road Estates.

Joined by the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council and Reverend Simon Rea, the Prime Minister toured the rejuvenated estate and met with residents and representatives from the Peabody housing association. Prior to her arrival in Edgware, the Prime Minister pledged to take ‘personal charge’ and make it her ‘personal mission’ to fix the broken housing market.

The Stonegrove and Spur Road Estates have undergone an extensive regeneration which has seen 999 new homes built, new road infrastructure improvements and new open spaces.

The Prime Minister’s visit also came on the same day that the Government announced plans to remove housing associations' £70 billion debt to provide a stable investment environment to fund new homes. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said housing associations will be reclassified as private sector organisations "freed from the shackles of public sector bureaucracy” adding that they "will be able to concentrate on their core, crucial mission building homes."

Matthew said: “It was a privilege to have the Prime Minister here in my constituency on the day that she announced the Government’s new housing policy.

“I welcome the Prime Minister’s praise of Barnet Council for its record on building affordable homes. I also welcome the new announcement by the Communities Secretary to help diversify and free up the housing market.

“Although our record on housing is already positive, the Government is doing more to help by investing £2 billion into affordable housing and £10 million more into Help to Buy. This way not only do we get the new high quality homes that we need, but we will be getting more people on to the housing ladder and into home ownership”