RE: Four-year homes wait slammed (LET, April 23).

Your story included a number of factual inaccuracies which I am keen to clear up for the benefit of your readers.

Space New Living did not buy the properties from the council; they were purchased individually from private vendors.

The properties were in the exact state of disrepair they are in today when we purchased them, and the repairs are not 'minor' -- they require re-wiring, new central heating and new kitchen as an absolute minimum.

While we do not wish to get into 'tit for tat' with funding bodies, as to who should have provided what funding, Space New Living is funded by public money and therefore has a duty to prioritise limited funds to those investments which serve our extensive neighbourhoods the most.

Funds are lobbied for from a variety of sources -- as in the case of these properties -- as we are not in a position to fund them out of our own resources. This is standard practice among Registered Social Landlords.

Finally, I would like to reassure your readers that we are fully cognisant of the housing requirements in this and other areas and that 100 per cent of our time is spent building and maintaining affordable homes where people wish to live.

Had we skimped on these houses to put them back on to the market as your correspondence suggests they would not have met our high standards and we would not consider asking people to live in them.

Since your piece, we have heard from a potential funding partner and may have some more news to report shortly.

In the meantime, it will remain our priority to use our resources for the long term benefit for all our neighbourhoods and to do this to the best of our ability.

STEPHEN REUBEN, Chief Executive, Space New Living, Pendleton Way, Salford.

Editor's footnote: Our story was based on information supplied by Ribble Valley Council.