Pickles: Councils Already Cutting Affordable Homes Through 106s

Eric Pickles has dismissed fears that 35,000 affordable houses will be lost through the changes to section 106 agreements, adding that current renegotiations are seeing councils reduce obligations from 30% to 26%. The Government is intending to allow developers to appeal the affordable housing element of section 106s where they claim that schemes are rendered unviable. The measure was announced by the Government in a special housing and growth package in September.  To offset the loss of affordable homes it pledged to invest a further £300m to deliver an additional 15,000 affordable homes and bring 5,000 empty homes back into use.  Read more on 24dash.