John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing responding to new official statistics showing that fewer affordable homes are being built than at any time in more than two decades, said:
“These figures are disastrous. They show we are now building the lowest number of social rented homes since records began. And the number of affordable homes to buy has fallen by two-thirds since 2010.
“This all-time low results from Conservative Ministers who have washed their hands of any responsibility to build the homes families on ordinary incomes need. We’ve seen six wasted years with the Tories in charge of housing. They have no long-term plan for housing and they’re doing too little to fix the housing crisis for millions of people who are just managing to cover their housing costs.
“And as an insult to the public’s intelligence, the Government tries to hide their failure to build more affordable homes by branding more homes as ‘affordable’. The Conservative definition of ‘affordable housing’ now includes homes close to full market rent and those on sale for up to £450,000.
"Public concern about housing is at the highest level for 40 years. Millions of families are struggling with high housing costs. Faced with this Ministers have turned their back on the way they can help most - by building low-cost homes to rent and buy.
"Phillip Hammond must use next week’s Autumn Statement to reverse the damage his Government have done in the last six years and back Labour’s plans to build.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
New figures on affordable housing supply for the year 2015/16 were published today: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/570005/Live_Table_1000.xlsx
They show:
The number of social rented homes as fallen to just 6,550 homes, 80% lower than in Labour’s last year in 2009/10 and the lowest level since comparable records began in 1991/92.
The number of homes for affordable home-ownership has plummeted despite Ministers saying this is a priority – to just 7,540 homes, 66% lower than in Labour’s last year in 2009/10.
The overall number of affordable homes – which includes so-called ‘Affordable Rent’ homes at up to 80% of the market rent - has halved in the last year and fallen to the lowest level since 1991/92.