Urban waiting lists rise by 80 per cent
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The number of households on social housing waiting lists in urban areas has risen 80 per cent in just over 12 years, according to a report.
The study from advisory body the Commission for Rural Communities also found households on waiting lists in rural districts had gone up by 68 per cent since 2002.
The research predicts demand for new homes will grow by 35 per cent in rural areas and 27 per cent in urban areas between 2006 and 2031.
The study says: ‘The demand for housing arising through household growth is projected to increase in predominantly rural districts by 356,000 households every five years between 2006 and 2031.
‘Meanwhile, the number of new build properties sold in rural areas over the past five years is 119,000.
‘The disparity between these figures suggests that recent levels of annual housing supply will not be sufficient to meet the projected levels of newly arising housing demand.’
The increased numbers of households on waiting lists outweigh the decreases in homeless households and households in temporary accommodation, it also says.
The report continues: ‘Whilst the proportion of additional social rented sector housing provided in predominantly rural districts has risen in the last four years, the projected increases in the numbers of households in rural areas suggest that further pressure will be put on the social sector unless housing supply can increase.’
The problems are made worse by a rise in second homes and vacant properties, it states. On average, 1,500 dwellings had been registered as second homes in the rural districts every year between 2006/07 and 2008/09.
Between 2007 and 2008 the number of privately owned dwellings left vacant increased by 9.3 per cent in rural districts compared to 2.8 per cent in urban districts.
Liberal Democrat housing spokeswoman Sarah Teather said: ‘This report shows that nowhere in the country has been able to escape the dire consequences of Labour’s failure to build more affordable housing.
‘We urgently need more homes to rescue the thousands of people left languishing on waiting lists.‘
Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said: ‘This report demonstrates the complete failure of Labour’s rural housing policy. Fewer homes built and bigger waiting lists.
‘Our new ideas like Local Housing Trusts will transfer power to local communities and begin to reverse Labour’s housing misery.’
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Readers' comments (8)
B.S. Townroe | 04/02/2010 10:07 am
See Grant Schapps' irony by-pass surgery was successful.
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Melvin Bone | 04/02/2010 10:15 am
'waiting lists rise by 80 per cent'
Ouch.
The government seems to have made a real pigs ear of this...
Lets give the other bunch a go. They cannot do any worse.
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Harry Lime | 04/02/2010 11:48 am
One of the reasons lists have spiralled is the introduction of CBL. You can register if you have no need and 25% of lets are done on time served, so a lot of people are signing up as there's no downside. Register now and in 10 years time you'll have a lot of priority on lets that are done on length of time. No one knows what the future holds, sign up now as in 10 years time you might need a social property, or may just want one.
I think that's the main reason - after being told that, who wouldn't spend 5 mins online to register?
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Cheryl | 04/02/2010 12:05 pm
mmmmmm. History lesson needed I think.
Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said: ‘This report demonstrates the complete failure of Labour’s rural housing policy. Fewer homes built and bigger waiting lists.
What about the Tories idea of Right To Buy? How else can he explain the fact that 3 or more bedroom council houses are as rare as proverbial rocking horse droppings in some areas? Lets see - fewer homes being built + Right To Buy taking more housing stock out of the system every year + stupidly high property prices + recession = A BIGGER DEMAND FOR SOCIAL HOUSING!
Not difficult to figure out is it? But of course, the Tories will deny all responsibility for RTB now that it's too late to do anything about it.
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Melvin Bone | 04/02/2010 1:36 pm
I love it when a lefty pops up and blames the previous administration...13 years after they went.
Shall we analyse step by step?
Fewer homes being built = Labours
Right To Buy taking more housing stock out of the system every year = Tory stupidly high property prices = Labour
recession = Labour
Well 3 out of 4 for Labour.
Oh and could they have legislated againt RTB at any point within the last 13 years...yes they could...but that would have lost them votes.
So 4 out of 4 for Labour...better luck next time.
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oy | 04/02/2010 1:58 pm
C'mon Grant you're not even trying there, that's not so much a response more a cursory slap.
It now costs more to move from a 3 bed house to a 4 bed house than it used to cost (in real terms) to buy a 4 bed house. The housing 'boom' has done nothing but stretch the rungs further apart on the property ladder and ensure you won't be able to climb as high as your parents did. Or in many cases get on it at all. And private letting is expensive and insecure. So people look to social housing. Symptom of a national housing crisis that we seem blind to and that the tories can't be held entirely to blame for; this current price war' a product of the noughties.
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Cheryl | 04/02/2010 3:30 pm
Melvin Bone | Thu, 4 Feb 2010 13:36 GMT
I love it when a lefty pops up and blames the previous administration...13 years after they went.
Despite how my post may have read, I'm not a lefty as I can't stand either of the two main political parties - they're as bad as each other. In fact, I doubt very much that there is a political party out there at the moment who has the policies or the guts to do anything about anything, especially since the demise of Screaming Lord Sutch.
I fear we are all doomed.
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Peter | 04/02/2010 4:29 pm
There are a number of fundamental flaws on how this percentage figure was arrived at, but it is election year the grey area between reality and fantasy is often exaggerated.
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