92% Of Councils ‘Failing’ To Meet Affordable Housing Needs

92% Of Councils ‘Failing’ To Meet Affordable Housing Needs

A lack of affordable housing is being delivered across most of England, with 92 per cent of local authorities not meeting affordable housing needs.

This is according to a new report from progressive policy think tank IPPR, revealing that 67 per cent of councils also failed to meet housing demand for the 2015/2016 year, according to new projections from the government.

The report recommended that the chancellor acts when putting together the next Budget to invest in affordable housing, as homeownership and rent are increasingly divorced from income.

House prices are unobtainable for many people on average incomes. For example, median monthly rents are not affordable until after-tax earnings of £3,167 in the west of England, £18,959 in Greater Manchester and £19,131 in the West Midlands.

“This analysis shows that not only are local authorities failing to build enough affordable homes, those which are being built are often out of reach of those who they are intended to support. The newly elected mayors should use their powers to take on the housing crisis and get their local councils building, including working to bring land to market for social and affordable rent,” researcher at IPPR Darren Baxter said.

This comes as Nicky Morgan, former Tory Cabinet minister and chairman of the Commons’ Treasury Select Committee, called for new measures in the Budget to incentivise developers to build more bungalows so pensioners can move out and help free up larger family homes for younger demographics.

She noted that the housing package will have to be both innovative and creative, reflecting the way people choose to live their lives and where they choose to do it.

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