Gordon Brown pledges to double eco towns

Prime minister Gordon Brown pledged to double the number of eco towns in his first speech as Labour party leader today.

Brown announced that the government aimed to build ten of its environmentally friendly showpiece developments – one in each region - instead of the five he promised when launching his bid to become Labour leader in the summer.

He said: “For the first time in nearly half a century we will show the imagination to build new towns- eco towns with low and zero carbon homes. And today because of the response we have received we have are announcing that instead of just five new eco towns, we will now aim for ten eco towns- building thousands of new homes in every region of the country.”

He also said that he aimed to create two million more home owners by 2010 and called on housing associations and councils to support his drive t build more social and key workers housing as well as homes for first time buyers.

IN a further bid to burnish his environmental credentials, Brown also hinted that the government may raise the 60% carbon emissions target outlined in the proposed climate change bill.

He said: “I am asking the new independent climate change committee to report on whether the 60% reduction in emissions by 2050, which is already bigger than in most other countries, should be even stronger still.”