The definition of
“affordable housing” must include homes for social rent in forthcoming
government changes to planning policy to tackle the historic low numbers of
social rented homes across the country, the Local Government Association says.
The LGA warns that
homes specifically for social rent are at risk of being eliminated after a
revision to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) dropped the reference
to “social rent” homes from the Government’s definition of affordable homes,
whilst including Starter Homes and other, less genuinely affordable, forms of
housing.
It comes amid an
already “unprecedented shortage” in affordable housing with the supply of homes
for social rent, which provides secure tenancies on low rents, at a historic
low. Just 2.48 per cent of homes built in 2016/7 were designated for social
rent – down from 3.59 per cent of all homes built the year previously.
All forms of
affordable housing – including affordable homes for purchase through various
initiatives - fell to 19 per cent of new homes in 2016/17, the second-lowest
figure ever recorded. The previous low, 17.2 per cent, was recorded in 2015/16.
Until then, that figure had never slipped below 20 per cent since records
began. Historically, about a third of all homes built have been designated for
various forms of affordable housing.
The LGA is calling
on the Government to drop proposed amendments to the NPPF to ensure homes for
social rent remain part of planning policy and to supply a long-term strategy
to deliver genuinely affordable housing in the upcoming Social Housing Green Paper.
The LGA, which
represents 370 councils across England and Wales, will be publishing a new
report “Housing, Planning and Homelessness at its Annual Conference in
Birmingham tomorrow (Tuesday) to set out how the Government can use its
forthcoming Green Paper to empower councils to trigger the renaissance in
council housebuilding needed to fix our broken housing market.
This includes a call
for the Government to ensure all councils can borrow to build to deliver new
homes, keep 100 per cent of receipts of homes sold under Right to Buy and adapt
discounts locally, and powers to ensure all developments contribute to the provision
of affordable housing.
Although the
Government recently allowed some areas of the country to access limited
headroom for borrowing for new homes, this won’t meet the full need for truly
affordable homes across the country, and the Government should go much further,
much faster.
Cllr Judith Blake,
LGA Housing spokesman, said: “Councils are determined to ensure their residents
have access to affordable housing. By removing social rent from the definition
of affordable housing, the Government has effectively removed the tool to help
that happen.
“It’s essential that
homes of all types and tenure are available so that local communities can
deliver a balance of housing to meet a mix of needs. Homes for social rent can
prevent people from spiralling into social housing, and alongside starter homes
and new builds, play an important role in a thriving housing market.
“The country needs
to be building approximately 300,000 homes a year of all types and tenure to
address our housing shortage. It’s essential that the Government ensure social
rent is included in the definition of affordable housing in the upcoming changes
to planning policy, but more widely, the imminent Social Housing Green Paper is
a real opportunity to give councils the tools they need to trigger the
renaissance in council housebuilding we desperately need.
“All councils should
be able to borrow to build, not just a select few, and the Government should
take steps to allow this as soon as possible. In addition, councils should be
able to keep 100 per cent of the receipts of the homes that are sold and adapt
discounts locally to ensure a steady supply of genuinely affordable homes in
our area.
“Tackling our
national housing shortage is rightly a priority for the Government – it’s
essential they put in place measures that would help, rather than hinder this,
at the local level.”
