News

09.03.15

Coalition’s record on ‘affordable housing’ worse than Labour’s

The Coalition’s record of starting and delivering affordable housing project through Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) programmes is poorer than the previous government. 

This is according to the Chartered Institute of Housing’s (CIH’s) UK Housing Review 2015, which revealed that, judged against performance under the last year of the previous government, starts have fallen from 53,917 in 2009-10 to 41,654 in 2013-14. 

During the same period, completions fell from 53,172 to 36,352, according to data from the DCLG’s Live Table. 

The Review’s ‘Housing expenditure plans’ chapter shows that both starts and completions would have to recover remarkably in the second half of 2014-15 to bring output back to the levels of five years earlier. 

CIH added that given the “drastic” fall in the grants budget the falls in starts and completions are hardly surprising. 

Gavin Smart, interim chief executive at CIH, said that successive governments have failed to put in place a joined-up, long-term strategy to tackle the housing crisis.

The review makes the case for a fundamental review of housing policy, he added. It calls for co-ordinated, sustained action over at least a decade – including putting targets and incentives in place for new house building of all tenures (ownership, shared ownership, private rent and social rent). 

Smart said: “Making housing more affordable means building more homes of all tenures – for ownership, shared ownership, private rent and social rent.  To do this we need political will, commitment and leadership. We want all political parties to commit to ending the housing crisis within a generation.” 

Responding to the latest review, housing minister Brandon Lewis MP said the government had “inherited a broken market devastated by the 2008 housing crash, with housebuilding at its lowest peacetime level since the 1920s”. Lewis also noted that, in general, housebuilding volumes are rising across the country. 

Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected] 

Comments

There are no comments. Why not be the first?

Add your comment

related

public sector executive tv

more videos >

latest news

View all News

comment

Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

21/06/2019Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

Taking time to say thank you is one of the hidden pillars of a society. Bei... more >
How community-led initiatives can help save the housing shortage

19/06/2019How community-led initiatives can help save the housing shortage

Tom Chance, director at the National Community Land Trust Network, argues t... more >

editor's comment

25/10/2017Take a moment to celebrate

Devolution, restructuring and widespread service reform: from a journalist’s perspective, it’s never been a more exciting time to report on the public sector. That’s why I could not be more thrilled to be taking over the reins at PSE at this key juncture. There could not be a feature that more perfectly encapsulates this feeling of imminent change than the article James Palmer, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, has penned for us on p28. In it, he highlights... read more >

last word

Prevention: Investing for the future

Prevention: Investing for the future

Rob Whiteman, CEO at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance (CIPFA), discusses the benefits of long-term preventative investment. Rising demand, reducing resource – this has been the r more > more last word articles >

interviews

Artificial intelligence: the devil is in the data

17/12/2018Artificial intelligence: the devil is in the data

It’s no secret that the public sector and its service providers need ... more >

the raven's daily blog

Cleaner, greener, safer media: Increased ROI, decreased carbon

23/06/2020Cleaner, greener, safer media: Increased ROI, decreased carbon

Evolution is crucial in any business and Public Sector Executive is no different. Long before Covid-19 even became a thought in the back of our minds, the team at PS... more >
read more blog posts from 'the raven' >

public sector events

events calendar

back

August 2020

forward
mon tue wed thu fri sat sun
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 1 2 3 4 5 6

featured articles

View all News