NHF warns social housing funding is in crisis

September 19, 2017

National Housing Federation (NHF)report published today headlines ‘Social housing spending at record low.’

The report shows that the nation’s commitment to building homes has fallen from £11.4bn in 2009 to £5.3bn in 2015 – from 0.7% to 0.2% of the total GDP. Despite this, more than a million families remain on the housing waiting list.

Chief Executive David Orr will today at the NHF annual conference warn that social housing funding is in crisis, unless the Government is prepared to make a break with the past and start funding new genuinely affordable homes.

David Orr, Chief Executive at the National Housing Federation said: “It is absurd that we’re spending less on building social housing than we did in the nineties – there are even more people today on housing waiting lists than then despite increasingly stringent criteria.

“We know we need more, better quality social housing. And yet, rather than putting public money into building the homes we need, we are propping up rents in a failing market. Ultimately, this is poor value for the taxpayer and has a knock-on effect on everyone struggling to rent or buy.

“The Prime Minister is right that we’ve not paid social housing enough attention. After the tragic fire at Grenfell, this crisis can no longer be ignored. The Government must be bold and make a break with the past by making money available to build genuinely affordable homes.

“There’s more than a billion pounds that remains unspent on Starter Homes. Let’s put this money to use and let housing associations build 20,000 of the genuinely affordable homes the nation needs.”

Read the NHF report in full click here.

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

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 →