"The stats are stark: families on Bath and North East Somerset council's social housing list face a 200-year wait for a four-bedroom property and the latest available figures show England is building just a little over 10,000 social homes a year. Tackling this crisis was a key element of Labour's election promise to build 1.5m homes over five years, with the government in July announcing plans to spend 39bn building 300,000 affordable homes over a decade, 60% of them for social rent."
"In London, housebuilding of all kinds has pretty much stalled, prompting the housing secretary, Steve Reed, and the mayor, Sadiq Khan, to announce a controversial package last week that cuts from 35% to 20% the percentage of affordable units a site needs in order for it to be fast-tracked. While Reed called the measure a shot in the arm to get the capital building, homelessness campaigners are sceptical."
"Nevertheless, despite such efforts to pull every lever, progress towards targets remains painfully slow. The number of new homes delivered in England was 231,300 in the year to September, up from 186,600 in the year to June. To hit the 1.5m goal, the UK's annual rate needs to be at least 300,000, a pace not achieved since 1970. A perfect storm' Khan, who grew up in a council flat, sums up the problem:"
Families on Bath and North East Somerset council's social housing list face waits of up to 200 years for a four-bedroom property. England is currently building only a little over 10,000 social homes a year, far below the rate required to meet ambitious targets. The government has pledged funding and targets, including 39bn for 300,000 affordable homes over a decade, but delivery is slow. London housebuilding has stalled, prompting a reduction in required affordable units for fast-tracking and new funding mechanisms, while campaigners demand guarantees that planning changes will increase social rented housing. National output remains below the necessary pace to meet commitments.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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