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Councils pledge development boost after housing delivery test failures
Councils deemed by the government to be failing on housing delivery have promised to step up development in their areas.
Two weeks ago the government published its first ever housing delivery test – which assesses how many homes have been built in local authority over the past three years as a percentage of the number required.
More than 100 town halls fell short of the 95% pass rate, while those with the biggest delivery gaps could face having some planning powers removed next year unless they step up supply.
Seven councils are currently missing the 45% threshold which would trigger that scenario, including two London boroughs and the City of London Corporation.
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Claire Upton-Brown, chief planning officer at New Forest Council, which had the lowest test result in the country at 35%, said good-quality, affordable housing remained of “paramount importance to the council”.
She said: “We would like to reassure our residents that this 35% housing delivery score should not be of concern as we are already well on our way to accelerating the numbers of new homes built in the New Forest district to meet housing need, while taking into consideration the special characteristics of the area.”
If councils are achieving less than 45% of their housing requirement, they will become subject to “presumption in favour of sustainable development” when the next test is published in November.
This planning concept set out in the National Planning Policy Framework means they would be expected to approve all developments unless they are on nationally protected sites or would have a serious adverse impact on their surroundings.
A spokesperson for Barking & Dagenham Council, which returned a score of 43%, said housebuilding in the borough “has been too low for a long time”.
“We are fully committed to building the new homes that local people – and the wider London economy – needs,” the statement added.
Redbridge Council, deemed to be lagging furthest behind in London at 38%, said it already has an action plan in place which “includes an analysis of housing delivery, barriers to delivery and actions necessary to increase housing in the future”.
A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation, which scored 42%, said its new city plan would set out how it will meet higher housebuilding targets.
Daniel Sutherland, cabinet member for planning, housing and environment at Calderdale Council, the only council outside London currently missing the 45% threshold, said: “We are aware of the implications of the housing delivery test and are taking a number of actions to step up our delivery.
“Most significantly, we submitted our local plan for examination on 11 January 2019. As we pass the various local plan milestones, we are confident that delivery will increase and the test will be met.”
Thanet District Council – which is on a final warning from government to progress with its local plan before the responsibility is handed over to civil servants – said it is “actively seeking to accelerate housing delivery.”
A spokesperson for Adur Council said: “The council is taking all necessary steps to increase housing delivery to avoid any future government sanctions.”
Housing delivery test results
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the below information on 19 February 2019.
The table shows the percentage of housing delivered against government assessment of need between 2015/16 and 2017/18
| Local authority area | Housing delivery test result | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Adur | 41% | Buffer |
| Allerdale | 278% | None |
| Amber Valley | 145% | None |
| Arun | 91% | Action plan |
| Ashfield | 116% | None |
| Ashford | 110% | None |
| Aylesbury Vale | 133% | None |
| Babergh | 88% | Action plan |
| Barking and Dagenham | 43% | Buffer |
| Barnet | 82% | Buffer |
| Barnsley | 103% | None |
| Barrow-in-Furness | NA | None |
| Basildon | 75% | Buffer |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 76% | Buffer |
| Bassetlaw | 141% | None |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 267% | None |
| Bedford | 129% | None |
| Bexley | 89% | Action plan |
| Birmingham | 108% | None |
| Blaby | 254% | None |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 72% | Buffer |
| Blackpool | 100% | None |
| Bolsover | 131% | None |
| Bolton | 60% | Buffer |
| Boston | 109% | None |
| Bournemouth | 84% | Buffer |
| Bracknell Forest | 75% | Buffer |
| Bradford | 76% | Buffer |
| Braintree | 93% | Action plan |
| Breckland | 119% | None |
| Brent | 98% | None |
| Brentwood | 51% | Buffer |
| Brighton and Hove | 77% | Buffer |
| Bristol, City of | 99% | None |
| Broadland; Norwich; South Norfolk | 133% | None |
| Broadland; Norwich; South Norfolk | 133% | None |
| Broadland; Norwich; South Norfolk | 133% | None |
| Bromley | 110% | None |
| Bromsgrove | 94% | Action plan |
| Broxbourne | 67% | Buffer |
| Broxtowe | 67% | Buffer |
| Burnley | 388% | None |
| Bury | 60% | Buffer |
| Calderdale | 36% | Buffer |
| Cambridge | 388% | None |
| Camden | 106% | None |
| Cannock Chase | 138% | None |
| Canterbury | 117% | None |
| Carlisle | 248% | None |
| Castle Point | 48% | Buffer |
| Central Bedfordshire | 110% | None |
| Charnwood | 123% | None |
| Chelmsford | 138% | None |
| Cheltenham | 108% | None |
| Cherwell | 233% | None |
| Cheshire East | 183% | None |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 365% | None |
| Chesterfield | 66% | Buffer |
| Chichester | 126% | None |
| Chiltern | 132% | None |
| Chorley | 133% | None |
| Christchurch; East Dorset | 75% | Buffer |
| Christchurch; East Dorset | 75% | Buffer |
| City of London | 42% | Buffer |
| Colchester | 120% | None |
| Copeland | 242% | None |
| Corby | 113% | None |
| Cornwall | 133% | None |
| Cotswold | 268% | None |
| County Durham | 116% | None |
| Coventry | 105% | None |
| Craven | 146% | None |
| Crawley | 181% | None |
| Croydon | 151% | None |
| Dacorum | 153% | None |
| Darlington | 182% | None |
| Dartford | 181% | None |
| Daventry | 110% | None |
| Derby | 113% | None |
| Derbyshire Dales | 93% | Action plan |
| Doncaster | 194% | None |
| Dover | 131% | None |
| Dudley | 101% | None |
| Ealing | 108% | None |
| East Cambridgeshire | 52% | Buffer |
| East Devon | 149% | None |
| East Hampshire | 104% | None |
| East Hertfordshire | 76% | Buffer |
| East Lindsey | 96% | None |
| East Northamptonshire | 164% | None |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 114% | None |
| East Staffordshire | 133% | None |
| Eastbourne | 73% | Buffer |
| Eastleigh | 115% | None |
| Eden | 194% | None |
| Elmbridge | 62% | Buffer |
| Enfield | 85% | Action plan |
| Epping Forest | 49% | Buffer |
| Epsom and Ewell | 57% | Buffer |
| Erewash | 66% | Buffer |
| Exeter | 144% | None |
| Fareham | 137% | None |
| Fenland | 97% | None |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 139% | None |
| Forest Heath | 100% | None |
| Forest of Dean | 100% | None |
| Fylde | 172% | None |
| Gateshead | 50% | Buffer |
| Gedling | 51% | Buffer |
| Gloucester | 143% | None |
| Gosport | 111% | None |
| Gravesham | 64% | Buffer |
| Great Yarmouth | 67% | Buffer |
| Greenwich | 108% | None |
| Guildford | 75% | Buffer |
| Hackney | 82% | Buffer |
| Halton | 193% | None |
| Hambleton | 230% | None |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 189% | None |
| Harborough | 150% | None |
| Haringey | 48% | Buffer |
| Harlow | 84% | Buffer |
| Harrogate | 113% | None |
| Harrow | 175% | None |
| Hart | 278% | None |
| Hartlepool | 168% | None |
| Hastings | 98% | None |
| Havant | 147% | None |
| Havering | 49% | Buffer |
| Herefordshire, County of | 74% | Buffer |
| Hertsmere | 158% | None |
| High Peak | 118% | None |
| Hillingdon | 182% | None |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 141% | None |
| Horsham | 141% | None |
| Hounslow | 78% | Buffer |
| Huntingdonshire | 92% | Action plan |
| Hyndburn | 137% | None |
| Ipswich | 66% | Buffer |
| Isle of Wight | 71% | Buffer |
| Isles of Scilly | NA | None |
| Islington | 71% | Buffer |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 137% | None |
| Kettering | 129% | None |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 91% | Action plan |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 165% | None |
| Kingston upon Thames | 75% | Buffer |
| Kirklees | 75% | Buffer |
| Knowsley | 182% | None |
| Lambeth | 125% | None |
| Lancaster | 167% | None |
| Leeds | 96% | None |
| Leicester | 129% | None |
| Lewes | 50% | Buffer |
| Lewisham | 95% | None |
| Lichfield | 102% | None |
| Lincoln; North Kesteven; West Lindsey | 112% | None |
| Lincoln; North Kesteven; West Lindsey | 112% | None |
| Lincoln; North Kesteven; West Lindsey | 112% | None |
| Liverpool | 193% | None |
| London Legacy Development Corporation | 52% | Buffer |
| Luton | 178% | None |
| Maidstone | 112% | None |
| Maldon | 101% | None |
| Manchester | 97% | None |
| Mansfield | 112% | None |
| Medway | 47% | Buffer |
| Melton | 84% | Buffer |
| Mendip | 124% | None |
| Merton | 144% | None |
| Mid Devon | 135% | None |
| Mid Suffolk | 81% | Buffer |
| Mid Sussex | 110% | None |
| Middlesbrough | 231% | None |
| Milton Keynes | 85% | Action plan |
| Mole Valley | 77% | Buffer |
| New Forest | 35% | Buffer |
| Newark and Sherwood | 118% | None |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 244% | None |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 100% | None |
| Newham | 71% | Buffer |
| North Devon; Torridge | 128% | None |
| North Devon; Torridge | 128% | None |
| North Dorset | 82% | Buffer |
| North East Derbyshire | 156% | None |
| North East Lincolnshire | 115% | None |
| North Hertfordshire | 55% | Buffer |
| North Lincolnshire | 73% | Buffer |
| North Norfolk | 126% | None |
| North Somerset | 73% | Buffer |
| North Tyneside | 120% | None |
| North Warwickshire | 134% | None |
| North West Leicestershire | 316% | None |
| Northampton | 150% | None |
| Northumberland | 197% | None |
| Nottingham | 126% | None |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 105% | None |
| Oadby and Wigston | 177% | None |
| Oldham | 64% | Buffer |
| Oxford | 99% | None |
| Pendle | 73% | Buffer |
| Peterborough | 91% | Action plan |
| Plymouth | 202% | None |
| Poole | 68% | Buffer |
| Portsmouth | 122% | None |
| Preston | 252% | None |
| Purbeck | 132% | None |
| Reading | 165% | None |
| Redbridge | 38% | Buffer |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 292% | None |
| Redditch | 2046% | None |
| Reigate and Banstead | 119% | None |
| Ribble Valley | 260% | None |
| Richmond upon Thames | 141% | None |
| Richmondshire | 410% | None |
| Rochdale | 106% | None |
| Rochford | 75% | Buffer |
| Rossendale | 75% | Buffer |
| Rother | 69% | Buffer |
| Rotherham | 92% | Action plan |
| Rugby | 108% | None |
| Runnymede | 116% | None |
| Rushcliffe | 119% | None |
| Rushmoor | 123% | None |
| Rutland | 228% | None |
| Ryedale | 192% | None |
| Salford | 135% | None |
| Sandwell | 61% | Buffer |
| Scarborough | 241% | None |
| Sedgemoor | 102% | None |
| Sefton | 64% | Buffer |
| Selby | 154% | None |
| Sevenoaks | 94% | Action plan |
| Sheffield | 110% | None |
| Shropshire | 171% | None |
| Slough | 86% | Action plan |
| Solihull | 109% | None |
| South Bucks | 123% | None |
| South Cambridgeshire | 78% | Buffer |
| South Derbyshire | 114% | None |
| South Gloucestershire | 131% | None |
| South Hams | 191% | None |
| South Holland | 71% | Buffer |
| South Kesteven | 81% | Buffer |
| South Lakeland | 180% | None |
| South Northamptonshire | 119% | None |
| South Oxfordshire | 179% | None |
| South Ribble | 126% | None |
| South Somerset | 104% | None |
| South Staffordshire | 127% | None |
| South Tyneside | 105% | None |
| Southampton | 120% | None |
| Southend-on-Sea | 49% | Buffer |
| Southwark | 80% | Buffer |
| Spelthorne | 63% | Buffer |
| St Albans | 58% | Buffer |
| St Edmundsbury | 106% | None |
| St. Helens | 98% | None |
| Stafford | 224% | None |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 64% | Buffer |
| Stevenage | 100% | None |
| Stockport | 75% | Buffer |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 124% | None |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 143% | None |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 261% | None |
| Stroud | 94% | Action plan |
| Suffolk Coastal | 128% | None |
| Sunderland | 186% | None |
| Surrey Heath | 127% | None |
| Sutton | 149% | None |
| Swale | 74% | Buffer |
| Swindon | 121% | None |
| Tameside | 66% | Buffer |
| Tamworth | 86% | Action plan |
| Tandridge | 65% | Buffer |
| Taunton Deane | 191% | None |
| Teignbridge | 135% | None |
| Telford and Wrekin | 250% | None |
| Tendring | 78% | Buffer |
| Test Valley | 265% | None |
| Tewkesbury | 181% | None |
| Thanet | 44% | Buffer |
| Three Rivers | 67% | Buffer |
| Thurrock | 88% | Action plan |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 155% | None |
| Torbay | 90% | Action plan |
| Tower Hamlets | 100% | None |
| Trafford | 47% | Buffer |
| Tunbridge Wells | 88% | Action plan |
| Uttlesford | 147% | None |
| Vale of White Horse | 334% | None |
| Wakefield | 184% | None |
| Walsall | 99% | None |
| Waltham Forest | 122% | None |
| Wandsworth | 168% | None |
| Warrington | 55% | Buffer |
| Warwick | 132% | None |
| Watford | 108% | None |
| Waveney | 72% | Buffer |
| Waverley | 79% | Buffer |
| Wealden | 112% | None |
| Wellingborough | 104% | None |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 88% | Action plan |
| West Berkshire | 117% | None |
| West Devon | 69% | Buffer |
| West Dorset; Weymouth & Portland | 129% | None |
| West Dorset; Weymouth & Portland | 129% | None |
| West Lancashire | 179% | None |
| West Oxfordshire | 103% | None |
| West Somerset | 130% | None |
| Westminster | 116% | None |
| Wigan | 83% | Buffer |
| Wiltshire | 139% | None |
| Winchester | 121% | None |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 97% | None |
| Wirral | 73% | Buffer |
| Woking | 153% | None |
| Wokingham | 157% | None |
| Wolverhampton | 111% | None |
| Worcester; Malvern Hills; Wychavon | 187% | None |
| Worcester; Malvern Hills; Wychavon | 187% | None |
| Worcester; Malvern Hills; Wychavon | 187% | None |
| Worthing | 93% | Action plan |
| Wycombe | 107% | None |
| Wyre | 146% | None |
| Wyre Forest | 116% | None |
| York | 102% | None |
This story was updated shortly after publication to correct some small errors. Initially, it was reported 109 councils had under-delivered. The number is in fact 108 and one development corporation. In addition, 33 councils face a presumption in favour of development from 2020, not 57 as originally reported.
