Why social housing needs to be recovered to provide homes for all
The UK housing crisis is long-lasting and well-reported and the chronic shortage of housing stock available on the market continues to fuel sky high sale and rental prices. Both Conservative and Labour governments have laid out ambitious plans over the past few decades in an attempt to avoid the current situation but have continually failed to live up to their manifesto promises.
In 2017, the current government pledged to build 300,000 new homes every year by ‘the mid-2020s’. That deadline is now only a few years away and data reveals that the 200,000 a year mark has barely been breached, requiring a monumental effort to reach the set target. In fact, the 200,000 mark has only been exceeded on one more occasion (214,000 homes in 2019) in the past 15 years.
It is evident that private development companies cannot provide the sole answer to the housing shortage in the UK. Local authorities need to be given more control to deliver a generation of quality council housing to tackle a problem that otherwise will only continue to progressively worsen.
What is classed as social housing?
Social housing is a category of properties that are managed by local councils or not-for-profit housing associations. Historically, the sector was referred to as council housing, although that label become somewhat stigmatised and is no longer commonly used.
Because social housing is separate from the private sector, rents are more affordable while the properties are supposed to provide a decent quality of living. They provide long-term tenancy options and are prioritised for low-income households who otherwise may not be able to afford higher private rental rates.
Why do we need more social housing?
According to research by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 1.15m households are currently on social housing waiting lists and enabling local authorities to provide the housing could also lead to the creation of 250,000 jobs.
A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that 92% of local authorities were not building enough affordable housing. Consequently, around 11 million now rent, a figure that has more than doubled in the past 20 years. At the same time, average rental rates in the UK continue to rise, standing at nearly £1,000pcm, which is a 13-year high. It is also estimated that more than 66,000 people will be homeless in the UK by 2024, as more people are unable to afford soaring housing costs.
According to the government, 13,306 affordable new build homes were made available for affordable rent in 2020-21, which is a 13% decrease on the previous year. The need for affordable housing is more urgent than ever and the restrictions that have prevented local authorities from investing in social housing need to be removed to find a solution to this urgent problem.
Why isn’t more social housing being built?
The last time Britain built homes on the scale we currently need, 40% of them were delivered by councils. However, while the lifting of the Housing Revenue Account cap provided a much-needed reform of the system, more change needs to occur.
The government’s planned rent policy provides some help. Although, a longer 10-year policy would be preferred to the current 5-year plan, along with more flexibility to account for regional differences. This will enable councils and non-for-profit organisations to take on investment programmes that will support the building of new council homes in the long-term.
Other barriers that need to be overcome are the long and arduous planning constraints, a shortage of grant funding and restrictions on how councils can use money raised from sold homes. Competing priorities for finite resources (safety standards or energy efficiency improvements) are also a concern which needs more mainstream coverage.
The good news is there are a large number of experienced and passionate professionals that are eager to provide their skills to deliver the high-quality social housing the UK desperately needs. Surveyors, engineers, planners, architects and more can work with councils on a local level to create new housing opportunities and ensure the houses needed by so local communities become a reality.
Public sector architect support
Tereyn Architects love working with local councils and authorities on public sector projects to meet the growing needs of our local communities. To find out more and to see how we can help your next project, get in touch today on 07984 760 920, send us a message here or email us at info@tereynarchitects.com and we’ll get right back to you.
