Building more social homes is a no-brainer

January 9, 2019
new build homes colchester essex

The Government must help fix part of the broken housing market and build for the future

Bringing together sixteen commissioners from across the political spectrum, Shelter have released a report titled, ‘A vision for social housing’, which analyses the state of social housing across the country.

The report reinforces the message that the entire housing sector has been telling successive Governments for the last twenty years, that not enough social housing is being built.

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) welcomes the detail of the report and supports many of the recommendations, specifically the need to build many more social homes and replace those lost to ‘right to buy’.

A responsible Government must act to reduce the burden on the tax payer while increasing the number of social homes available. Positive steps have been taken through the decision to lift the borrowing cap that local authorities face when financing social housing but not all councils can access increased borrowing unless they already own 200 social homes.

Unfortunately, Shelter’s report does not acknowledge the role of local plans in stimulating social housing, as local authorities can work hand in glove with providers to assure them of development opportunities during the site allocation phase.

Richard Beresford, chief executive of the NFB said: “Industry, popular opinion and economists continue to tell the Government that they must build more social homes. It’s time they listened and became the first Government in twenty years to meet very clear expectations.”

Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Housing and Planning policy at the House Builders Association added: “A major social house building programme is a no brainer. You help house those in need, stimulate local employment and business, help fix part of the broken housing market and build for the future.”

Latest news shared by: National Federation of Builders

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or advertising content from third parties and affiliations.. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Persistent decline to give way to recovery in 2027

Glenigan’s Autumn 2026 Construction Forecast maintains that sector growth will revive in 2027, despite a challenging year of market stagnation Following a sluggish end to 2026, construction is set to rebound from 2027 onwards as public sector building increases Significant value gains expected for health, education, civils, offices and data centre projects Private and social…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

The Plumbing and Electrical Problems That Quietly Kill Sales and Lettings

We’ve all had one of these. The offer’s agreed. Everyone’s happy. The memorandum of sale has gone out, and you’re already mentally banking the fee. Then the buyer’s survey comes back. “Electrics appear dated. Recommend inspection by a qualified electrician.” And just like that, the mood changes. The buyer starts asking about a reduction. The…
Read More →
Breaking News

Rental price and average salary tracker – October 2026

Rental prices rise across most regions as affordability pressures persist Average monthly rents increased in eight of the 11 regions between September and October, with Wales recording the largest rise at 31.1%, followed by the North East at 29.8% and the South West at 7.5%. Scotland, London and the North West were the only regions…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

Portfolio landlords have outgrown traditional property management

By Adam Hills, Client Services Director, LRG Living Markets The residential lettings industry still manages many large portfolios as though they’re simply collections of individual tenancies. While that works on small portfolios, but it doesn’t work when landlords own 50, 100 or 200 properties. At that point, the challenge is no longer property management alone…
Read More →
Breaking News

Real-life value of the most famous Christmas film homes

The real-life value of the most famous Christmas film homes, from budget classics to multimillion-pound mansions New research has gathered and analysed the estimated valuations of real homes featured in popular Christmas films, ranking them by cost. The priciest homes are featured in The Holiday, Trading Places, and Home Alone, with Amanda’s home from The…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

77% of buyers refuse to buy a flood risk property

Despite 4.7 million English homes facing flood risk New research from Lyons Bowe has revealed that 77% of homebuyers would not consider purchasing a property in a flood risk area, despite more than 4.7 million homes across England currently being deemed at risk of flooding. The findings come as the Government launches a new flood taskforce amid…
Read More →