There is growing
concern about the the latest affordable housing figures, which show a decrease
in the delivery of social rent accommodation over the past year.
The latest data
published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows an
overall increase in the number of affordable homes delivered across England in
2018/19 of 22%.
Mark Robinson, Scape
Group chief executive, comments: “While overall affordable housing provision is
up, looking closely at the numbers, there are significant differences in the tenure of housing being delivered.
Today’s data reveals another disastrous drop in the provision of homes for
social rent under the current government. Local authorities – who are
responsible for meeting local housing needs – are under increasing pressure to
deliver.
“Despite the
majority of funding going to housing associations, they completed
just 5,447 homes for social rent during the past year. But over a million families
are registered on the waiting list for social housing. Although the housing
association model has proven itself highly effective for the management of
estates, social rented homes are not being delivered at the scale and pace the
country needs.
“Delivering a step
change in providing homes for our communities demands a radical solution, and I
believe the answer lies in the past. Councils must be given
more power to build social housing
themselves – as they were in the 1970s, before housing associations became
non-governmental delivery agents for the provision of social rented housing. In
1977, when councils were still responsible for new social housing 121,000 homes
were built.
“The last general
election saw concern
over housing reach the highest level amongst voters since 1974.
Particularly among 18 to 34 year olds. This is a crisis that no politician
should be allowed to ignore. Housing must be at the centre of the upcoming
election and it’s vital that we see an ambitious renewal of council
housebuilding at the heart of every party’s manifesto.
Labour will announce
what it describes as a “housing revolution” with biggest council house building
programme for decades during its General Election manifesto launch.
It will include new
plans for the biggest council and social housing programme in decades to
transform the lives of millions of people struggling to afford a decent home
because of the housing crisis.
The new plans will
be paid for with funding from Labour’s Social Transformation Fund. Half of
Labour’s Social Transformation Fund – around £75bn over five years – will be
allocated to housing. The homes will be built to cutting edge design and green
standards, with Labour citing the new, award winning Goldsmith Street council
development in Labour-led Norwich as an example of what Labour’s modern council
housing could look like.
Labour’s says it
plans will mean:
- scaling up council
house building so that we are building 100,000 council homes a year by the end
of the parliament, a more than 3,500% increase.
- building at least
50,000 additional genuinely affordable homes a year through Housing
Associations by the end of the parliament.
- at least 150,000
new council and social homes a year within five years, delivering the biggest
council housebuilding programme since the years immediately after the Second
World War, and the biggest overall affordable housebuilding programme since the
1960s.
Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party leader, said:“Housing should be for the many, not a
speculation opportunity for dodgy landlords and the wealthy few."
John Healey,
Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, said the party's transformational housing
plans will mean thousands more genuinely affordable homes for people on
ordinary incomes in every area of the country.
“Our modern council
and social housing will be built to cutting-edge design and green standards
providing a long-term investment in our country’s future,” he added.
