Government still 'underinvesting in building'
Homelessness charity Shelter attacked the government for ‘continuing decades of under-investment in building’ in the spending review, highlighting figures showing a rise in families privately renting.
Census figures out on Friday last week showed the number of families renting their homes has doubled over the past 10 years, Shelter pointed out in its analysis of the data, which was released by the Office of National Statistics.
The charity also highlighted that the proportion of families owning their own home dropped by 13 per cent between 2001 and 2011. The ONS released the 2011 census for England and Wales on Friday.
The census showed 1,204,830 households in England with dependent children were renting privately compared with 604,228 in 2001.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: ‘These figures show that renting is no longer the preserve of the young and the mobile; more and more families are joining the ranks of ‘generation rent’ because they are priced out of a home of their own.
‘[Last week] the government’s spending review failed priced-out families by continuing decades of under-investment in building the homes we need. Unless this changes, tomorrow’s young people and families will find it even harder to find an affordable home and get on in life.’
The government pledged £3.1 billion to deliver 165,000 new affordable homes last week following Inside Housing’s campaign for continued grant funding to subsidise the development of sub-market rented homes.
