This week Wycombe MP Steve Baker writes exclusively to Bucks Free Press readers:

In my Letter from Westminster last November I talked about the pressures on housing in the Wycombe area.

I know this challenge continues, but I am impressed by the innovative steps Red Kite Community Housing is taking.

It has set-up three new companies to offer flexible rents and mentoring, build new homes, and provide an estate agency service.

Its new charitable company, Twenty11, is a unique organisation providing homes which cater for individual affordability.

New tenants will have an option to rent homes that are part of the charitable company and pay rent based on a household’s ability to pay, which could be either more or less than rents charged by Red Kite.

Red Kite can manage antisocial behaviour faster and fairer, in line with standards set by its tenants.

Twenty11 will also give people access to a bespoke Community Potential Specialist, who will help people develop their skills and talents.

Red Kite has also launched a property company, Edenmead, to provide new homes of different tenure types for outright sale.

This venture will allow it to subsidise new low rent housing, which I know Wycombe needs. Red Kite aims to build and sell 375 homes in the local area this year.

Red Kite’s new commercial company, Pennvale, will allow it to provide non-charitable services, such as a lettings agency managing market-rent and affordable homes, and offering a trusted service to both landlords and those seeking quality, private rented homes.

I expect this innovative work should yield fantastic results for local people and I hope to see these great ideas being developed in Wycombe spread across the country.

Red Kite’s work complements the Government’s commitment to providing £44 billion of mixed funding to support the housing market to 2022-23, which will help deliver an average 300,000 additional homes a year by the mid-2020s including 257,000 for rent.