Almost
three-quarters of people across Great Britain believe there’s a housing crisis
– and more than half think we’re not talking about it enough, according to a
new survey by Ipsos MORI for CIH.
The survey also
shows most people don’t believe the political parties are giving the issue a
lot of attention.
The results also
show strong public support for more social housing. By large margins the Great
British public thinks social housing is important because it helps people on
lower incomes get housing which wouldn’t be affordable in the private rented
sector (76% agree) and helps to tackle poverty (68% agree).
CIH chief executive
Terrie Alafat CBE said: “These results send a very clear message to the new
government. The housing crisis is real, and we are simply not doing enough.
It’s clear that the British public supports more social housing.
“On Friday the
Chancellor announced he was ‘fast-tracking the comprehensive spending review.
Here is a golden opportunity for ministers to make the ambitious changes on
housing which could start to make a real difference.
“Our survey shows
overwhelming support for more social housing, which is why CIH has joined the
National Housing Federation, Shelter, Crisis and the campaign for the
Protection of Rural England to make clear what the government needs to do to
end the housing crisis in England.
“We have called for
a 10-year programme to build 145,000 affordable homes a year, with 90,000 of
those at social rents. This would cost £12.8 billion a year and would return
spending levels to those under Winston Churchill in the early 1950s.
“That programme
would unlock billions of pounds of funding from the housing industry and add an
additional 120 billion pounds to the economy each year through the creation of
local jobs. And much of this could be achieved by rebalancing the existing housing
budget, which overwhelmingly supports building houses for sale. In the long
run, investing in social housing offers great value for money.
“The housing crisis
is an economic, social and human catastrophe. But it can be solved. There is a
solution; a solution that would add billions to our national economy and help
millions of our fellow-citizens.”
The survey shows:
• 73% believe there
is a housing crisis in Britain – and 67% think that the government can do
something about the country’s housing problems
• 57% think that the
rising cost of housing will impact on them personally a great deal or a fair
amount in the next five years – 56% say the same of ‘Brexit’
• Overall 55% of the
public, and 68% of renters, think housing has been discussed too little in
Britain over the last few years
• 52% of people
support the building of new homes locally, up from 40% five years ago
Our survey finds a
downbeat mood among renters in particular:
• 45% of private
renters and 43% of social renters are concerned about their ability to pay rent
at present (29% of mortgage holders are concerned about repayment)
• Of those renting
or living at home with their parents, 61% think they will never be able to
afford to buy a home
• More than a third
of private renters, 38%, worry they’ll have to leave their local area because
of the unaffordable cost of housing
• 36% of people in
London, whether renting or buying, are concerned they may have to move because
of the cost of housing; nationally the figure is 22%
Terrie Alafat said:
“We support the aspiration of those who want to buy their own home, but for
many others home-ownership is either not an aspiration or not an option. We
need to make sure everyone has a place to call home, and this survey reinforces
what we’ve been saying for a long time - for too many people housing is simply
unaffordable.
“This survey shows
that people believe the government can and should do something about the
housing crisis. We have given the government a solution: a solution that would
add billions to our national economy and help millions of our fellow-citizens.”
