Research reveals desperate housing crisis with councils warning of ‘severe’ need for affordable housing

• New report finds that 98% of UK councils surveyed describe their need for affordable homes as either ‘severe’ or ‘moderate’.
• Lack of investment in genuinely affordable housing alongside deregulation of planning is reducing the ability for local authorities to secure the homes the nation needs.

A report published by APSE and written and researched by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) finds that UK councils are becoming increasingly unable to meet demands for affordable housing and 98% now describe their need as either ‘severe’ or ‘moderate’, with only 1% claiming that their need is not substantial.

The survey of 166 local authorities in Britain highlights the pressure on councils to meet the growing demand for affordable housing due to a lack of new homes being built and that many of those that are being built are not affordable to those in need.

The research highlights the cumulative impact of existing housing and planning policies in England — such as the 1 per cent annual rent reductions in the social rented sector and the continued deregulation and reform of the planning system — have reduced the ability of councils to secure genuinely affordable homes available for social rent.

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the TCPA, said, “Our research reveals that Britain is facing an acute housing crisis with councils across the country increasingly unable to meet the need for affordable housing.

“The incoming government must make tackling the housing crisis a priority. An ambition to increase housing numbers is not enough, we need to ensure that the homes that are built are affordable and well designed.”

By exploring a range of issues faced by councils, this study has identified how local authorities are already taking a more active role in housing delivery through entrepreneurial approaches, such as setting up local housing companies and innovative approaches to partnership working. Over two thirds (69%) of councils surveyed said that they already had or were thinking about setting up a local authority housing company either on their own or in partnership.

Paul O’Brien, Chief Executive of APSE said, “Whilst the general election had been pitched as the Brexit election the political narrative can’t ignore the housing crisis that we face across the UK.

“A new wave of council homes would help support local economic growth, jobs and skills in our economy; housing could be an effective driver for a renewed industrial strategy but to achieve this we need to place local councils at the heart of delivery on housing need. That means the future Government of whatever political make-up must provide the financial freedoms and flexibility for councils to  deliver  solutions to our chronic housing shortage”

The report, Building homes, creating communities: Ensuring councils provide innovative solutions to meeting housing need, has been released to coincide with the upcoming election and makes 15 recommendations to the incoming government, including a call for investment in building new homes available for social rent to house Britain’s ‘essential’ low-paid workers.

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Ends

Notes to Editors:

1. The full report, Building homes, creating communities: Ensuring councils provide innovative solutions to meeting housing need, which is due to be published on 23 May 2017, is now available to download for free.
2. The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) is a not-for-profit local government body working with over 300 councils throughout the UK. Promoting excellence in public services, APSE is the foremost specialist in local authority frontline services and operates one of the UK’s largest research programmes in local government policy and frontline service delivery matters.
3. The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) is an independent campaigning charity calling for more integrated planning based on the principles of accessibility, sustainability, diversity, and community cohesion. The TCPA puts social justice and the environment at the heart of the debate about planning policy, housing and energy supply. We inspire government, industry and campaigners to take a fresh perspective on major issues including climate change and regeneration www.tcpa.org.uk

For further information, please contact Jack Mulligan on 020 7930 8903 or [email protected] or contact Mo Baines at APSE on 0161 772 1810 or email [email protected]  Mobile 07971 843515