Stephen Battersby, CIEH President, said: "The CIEH strongly supports the need for increased funding for new housing, but this has come at the expense of support and assistance for existing housing.
"The present downturn in the housing market will mean that a significant amount of money earmarked for new homes will remain unspent.
"We are calling on the Government to redirect this year's unspent money for new homes into a Homes for Health programme for repair and improvement targeting every region in England.
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"Poor housing is a major cause of ill health in the UK - this country's statistics on winter deaths, falls and home insulation compare poorly with many of our European partners. There are now 6.8 million non-decent homes and 4.2 million have an unacceptable health and safety hazard. Despite these figures and the Government's commitment to reduce inequalities, funding to improve private homes which meet Decent Homes Standard has declined year on year.
"In particular, we are growing increasingly concerned about the number of older home owners and other vulnerable members of the community who are struggling to repair and maintain their properties and pay their fuel bills. This is a very worrying development.
"To give you an example, one large urban local authority has reduced its private sector housing allocation for 2008/9 and as a consequence its home maintenance service will disappear altogether. It is not alone - budgets are being cut across the board. In recent years grants have been increasingly replaced with loans further burdening some of the most vulnerable members of the community."
(CD/JM)
