Social Housing Budget 'To Be Cut In Half'

The social housing budget in England is to be cut by more than 50% in the Spending Review, the BBC understands.  Council housing "for life" will also be phased out, with the needs of new council tenants assessed over time.  Despite the cuts, ministers are likely to set a target of building 150,000 affordable homes, changing the way councils charge rent to finance them.  Tenants will be charged nearer the going market rate, to release cash for the building programme.  It claimed more than 360,000 jobs would be lost in the construction industry every year if cuts on the scale being proposed were introduced.  Ministers are expected to introduce a "flexible tenancy" for people who move into council housing for the first time.  Tenants will be checked over a period of time to see if they still require help with housing from their local authority.  Housing Minister Grant Shapps said he hoped to legislate later this year to create a National Home Swap Scheme, which would allow people in unsuitable accommodation - such as a pensioner who wants to move to a smaller home - to swap for something more suitable.  There are currently some eight million tenants in social housing in England.  More than 250,000 households live in overcrowded conditions while a further 430,000 are unable to easily downsize from larger properties they no longer need. Read more on the BBC website.