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LGA responds to Shelter report on social housing
Cllr Martin Tett, Housing spokesman for the Local Government Association, responded to a report by Shelter calling for government to invest in a 20-year housebuilding programme and extend the social housing eligibility criteria
“There is an acute need to address the escalating housing crisis which would deliver huge benefits for families, communities and the economy. We have estimated investment in a new generation of social housing could return up to £320 billion over 50 years.
“Only by triggering the renaissance in council house-building can we put in place the long-term reforms that will help make homelessness a thing of the past and remove housing insecurities for current and future generations.
“The last time we built enough homes councils built 40 per cent of them. We need to get back to those levels if we’re to tackle our housing crisis, building a new generation of at least 100,000 high quality social homes a year.
“However, every housing market is different and resolving the challenge must mean allowing every council to ensure that new and existing social housing best meets local need. Critical to this goal will be allowing councils to keep 100 per cent of their Right to Buy receipts and to set discounts locally.”
