Tories Have Made 'Affordable Housing' A Meaningless Term

For decades “affordable housing” meant exactly that  – homes that were affordable, even to those on low incomes. Prior to 2010 traditional affordable homes, whether council housing or housing association properties, stayed true to the adage that their purpose was to provide an affordable place to live for even the less well off. Affordable housing was, in short, affordable. No more. One of the most worrying proposals in the government’s planning reforms is a fundamental redefinition of affordable housing. After last year’s election they introduced starter homes, which will cost up to £450,000 in Greater London and be affordable only to households earning at least £77,000 a year. In effect, they are redefining “affordable housing” into a term so broad as to be almost meaningless. Read more on the Guardian website.