CIH has 'serious' concerns over affordable homes
The Chartered Institute of Housing has said there are ‘serious on-going concerns’ around the affordable homes programme despite proposals to spend £1.8 billion on building 170,000 new homes.
Sarah Webb was speaking as the successful bids for the scheme were revealed by the Homes and Communities Agency.
The housing minister Grant Shapps announced yesterday that the £1.8 billion affordable homes programme will deliver 80,000 homes by 2015, up from 56,000 as originally expected.
When added to 67,000 homes committed under the previous Labour government and grant-free homes, the total figure of new homes for affordable rent, social rent or for low cost home ownership rises from 150,000 to 170,000.
Sarah Webb, chief executive at the CIH, said: ‘It is testament to the hard work of organisations that they have been able to stretch the limited public funding available to this extent.
‘There do, however, remain serious on-going concerns about the impact of the new investment model on businesses’ future investment prospects.
‘We also know that while the 170,000 homes is good news, the consensus is that the number actually required to make a dent in a growing housing crisis is vastly higher.’
