Pincher: Replacement Of Section 106 To Put ‘More Ammunition In The Hands’ Of Councils

Speaking to the House of Lords Built Environment Committee, which has been undertaking an inquiry into meeting the UK’s housing demand, Christopher Pincher said the “new system that we develop should provide at least as much affordable housing as the present one”. The government’s proposed planning reforms include replacing Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy with a single new levy in a bid to ensure that affordable housing and infrastructure agreed by a developer is delivered “as expected” and on time. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/pincher-replacement-of-section-106-to-put-more-ammunition-in-the-hands-of-councils-73170 

Ministers Must Commit To 30-Year Social Rent Increases To Tackle London’s Housing Crisis

The government must “immediately” introduce a 30-year commitment to increase social rents by 1% above the consumer price index (CPI) annually to help tackle London’s affordable housing crisis, a new report has argued. The report highlighted that the annual need for extra affordable housing in London is 7.6 times greater than supply, compared to 2.6 across the whole of England. Housing associations, particularly those in London, are grappling with major long-term costs as a result of the post-Grenfell building safety crisis and decarbonisation, forcing them to rethink their development plans. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/ministers-must-commit-to-30-year-social-rent-increases-to-tackle-londons-housing-crisis-argues-report-72130?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Housing Associations Eye Bulk Sales Of Shared Ownership Stock

Housing associations are looking to offload shared ownership stock to private bidders in a move to free up cash. Rising costs linked to fire safety works and net zero carbon targets are leading housing associations to consider large-scale disposals of their shared ownership stock. Affordable housing is seen as an attractive option for investors who are mindful of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. These investors also find shared ownership attractive because it offers both retail price index-linked (RPI) rent increases as well as some exposure to house price growth. Read more on Inside Housing.

Inside Housing - News - Housing associations eye bulk sales of shared ownership stock to private investors to boost cash

Government Slips Out U-Turn On Affordable Housing Planning Reforms

Robert Jenrick’s vast overhaul of the planning system has hit a further setback after the Government quietly u-turned on plans to scrap the duty on developers to build affordable housing on small sites. Last summer, the Housing Secretary announced a string of reforms to the current planning system including proposals to abolish the requirement for housebuilders to deliver affordable housing on sites of up to 50 homes. Mr Jenrick believed the move, along with a raft of other changes to the planning rules, would dramatically speed up housebuilding in England by “cutting red tape but not standards”. Read more on the inews website.

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/government-slips-out-u-turn-affordable-housing-planning-reforms-robert-jenrick-960077 

Affordable Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

 Stuart Anderson: [166569] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to build more affordable homes and reduce social housing provider waiting lists.

Christopher Pincher: The new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will leverage up to £38 billion of private finance and provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow. Approximately 50% of the homes delivered will be for affordable home ownership. We will also deliver more than double the homes for social rent compared to the current programme, with around 32,000 social rent homes due to be delivered. Furthermore, [the] Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme will deliver approximately 250,000 new affordable homes.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2021-03-10/166569

Affordable Housing: Building Plans Cut By Two-Thirds For Second Programme

The number of homes built in London with funding from the Affordable Homes Programme is to drop by two thirds, mayor Sadiq Khan has announced. About 35,000 homes are planned by 2026, using £4bn of government funding - an average of £114,000 per house. The cost per house of the first programme, under which 116,000 homes were to be constructed, was £41,551. The Greater London Authority (GLA) Conservative group has accused the mayor of "failing Londoners". A spokesman for the mayor's office said Brexit and the cladding crisis had contributed to an increase in costs. Read more on the BBC website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56222957 

Affordable Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of funding for the Affordable Housing Programme will be allocated to the construction of low-cost, social rent housing.

Christopher Pincher: We do not ringfence the funding for the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) by tenure. As part of the AHP 21-26, Social Rent homes can now be funded across the country at the same grant rates as Affordable Rent. Additional funding to deliver Social Rent is available in local authority areas where affordability pressures are highest. This will ensure that Social Rent homes are built where they are most needed. The new AHP will deliver around 32,000 social rent homes, more than double the delivery of the current programme.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2021-02-02/148011

Developers Will Be Able To Build Estates Of 50 Homes Without Any Affordable Housing

Developers will be able to build estates of 50 homes without setting any aside for affordable housing under the Government’s controversial planning reforms, a coalition of charities has warned. In a letter to the Telegraph, the chief executives of Shelter and CPRE, the countryside charity, argue that the plans should be scrapped because they do not deliver the type of housing that “communities are crying out for". Research has shown that in rural and affluent areas, affordable housing could fall by half under the proposals put forward by ministers last month. Read more on Yahoo News.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/planners-able-build-estates-50-160359417.html?guccounter=1

Thousands Of Affordable Home Would Have Been Lost Under Planning Reforms

The LGA is warning that some councils could see an almost 50% reduction in affordable housing delivery. Under current rules, only sites of 10 homes or fewer are exempt from providing affordable housing through Section 106 agreements. However, in August the government announced plans to increase this threshold to 40 or 50 homes. Analysis by Glenigan found that between 2015/16 and 2019/20, 119,505 homes were delivered on sites between 10 and 49 units. This would have included 29,876 affordable homes through Section 106 agreements, based on current rules that require developers to deliver 25% affordable housing on sites of this size. Read more on the LGA website.

https://www.local.gov.uk/lga-thousands-affordable-home-would-have-been-lost-under-planning-reforms 

Government Rejects Calls From MPs To Set Social Rent Targets

Ministers have failed to commit to a number of recommendations put forward by a group of cross-party MPs concerning the long-term delivery of social housing, including a refusal to provide grant to fund the purchase of unsold homes during the coronavirus pandemic. In its response to a report from the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee looking at the long-term delivery of social housing, the government rejected calls to set targets for affordable housing tenures and failed to commit to putting social housebuilding at the top of its COVID-19 recovery agenda. Download the report from the Gov UK website.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/924573/Long-term_Delivery_of_Social_and_Affordable_Rented_Housing_WEB.pdf 

Tory Planning Reforms ‘Could Kill Off Affordable Housing’

 Government reforms of the planning system have been branded a “property developers’ charter” that will benefit Tory donors and could spell the end of affordable housing. The proposed reforms, announced last week, would see an end to section 106 agreements under which developers deliver affordable homes in exchange for permission to build. The government intends to replace the agreements – and another revenue generator, the community infrastructure levy – with a new levy it claims will increase revenue levels collected nationally when compared to the current system and ensure the delivery of more affordable housing. Read more on the Observer website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/09/tory-planning-reforms-could-kill-off-affordable-housing

Affordable Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

James Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much of the funding available for the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21 will be included in the £12.2 billion announced in Budget 2020.

Christopher Pincher: At Budget 2020 the Government announced we are investing £12.2 billion to build affordable homes between 2021/22 and 2025/26. Of this, £9.5 billion is new funding and £2 billion is for long-term strategic partnerships previously announced in September 2018.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-07-16/75461

Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

Marco Longhi: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to strengthen the rights of local communities on section 106 agreements. 

Christopher Pincher: The Government has introduced a requirement for all local authorities that receive developer contributions, including from section 106 agreements, to publish an annual Infrastructure Funding Statement. The statements, which must first be published by 31 December 2020 should identify income and spend on infrastructure and affordable housing and the choices local authorities have made about how future contributions will be used. This transparency will help local people to understand what contributions are being collected towards infrastructure. The neighbourhood allocation of the Community Infrastructure Levy also enables communities to have a say in how funds should be used to help support their local area.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-03-16/30036

Affordable Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities meet the requirement for major planning developments to contain 10 per cent affordable home ownership, as set out in the revised National Planning Policy Framework, published July 2018.

Christopher Pincher: The Framework does not represent a mandatory approach and local authorities are best place to assess what is needed in their communities. However, local authorities are expected to comply with the policy and secure the delivery much needed affordable homes for sale, unless they are able to provide evidence that justifies a different approach.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-02-21/18490

Homes On Former Public Land Will Not Be Affordable

Less than 3% of homes to be built on public land that has been sold to developers will end up being for genuinely affordable social rent. The left-leaning New Economics Foundation (NEF) think-tank said the release of figures published by the government was welcome, but the data revealed a poor outlook for those in need of affordable housing. Its analysis showed that of plans for 131,000 homes on public land sold since 2011, just under 20,000 would be deemed affordable and 3,410 would be let for social rent. Read more on Housing Today.

https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/homes-on-former-public-land-will-not-be-affordable-think-tank-claims/5104378.article

West Midlands To Overhaul Affordable Housing Definition By Linking Rent To Average Salaries

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has announced plans to overhaul its definition of affordable housing by linking rents and mortgages to salaries rather than to local house prices and rent rates. The WMCA said that homeownership could be in the reach of thousands more people under its new plan, which would ensure local people pay no more than 35% of their salary on mortgages and rents for affordable properties. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/west-midlands-to-overhaul-affordable-housing-definition-by-linking-rent-to-average-salaries-64941?utm_source=Ocean%20Media%20Group&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11284870_IH-DAILY-5-2-2020-GR&dm_i=1HH2,6PVGM,8CKJV9,QTNU5,1

More Affordable Housing 'Should Be Built In National Parks'

More affordable housing should be built in England’s national parks to help communities excluded by spiralling prices driven by second homes, the new chair for the authorities has said. Carl Lis OBE, chair of National Parks England, has warned that young people and national parks staff are being forced out of some of the most scenic parts of the country by high prices, driven in part by exclusive holiday homes. Lis said the government should also take action on “land banking” by developers in protected areas such as the Lake District, the South Downs and the Peak District. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/29/more-affordable-housing-should-be-built-in-national-parks

Affordable Housing: Grants – Parliamentary Written Answer

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what conditions are placed on the disbursement of funds through affordable housing grants from Homes England.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Registered providers are able to bid into the Programme for funding to build Rent to Buy and affordable rented homes; funding for Shared Ownership is also open to private providers. Registered providers can also bid for funding to deliver social rent homes in areas of high affordability pressure. The conditions guidance for the Affordable Homes Programme is published by the Department as part of its Capital Funding Guide. The funding guide can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/capital-funding-guide

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2020-01-08/HL215

Affordable Starts Hit Ten-Year High

Best figures for the first half of a financial year for grant-funded schemes since 2009/10. Homes England and the Greater London Authority in the first half of the financial year together funded the highest number of affordable housing starts in a decade, according to government figures. The data show that the two bodies – who administer the affordable housing programme in England – funded 17,184 affordable housing starts between April and September, up nearly 50% on the figure for the first half of 2018/19. This is the highest figure recorded for an April-September period in the data series, which started in 2009/10. Read more on Housing Today.

https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/affordable-starts-hit-ten-year-high/5103083.article

Strategy To Combat Homelessness Unveiled

Uttlesford District Council (UDC) is aiming to eliminate all use of bed and breakfast accommodation for temporary housing over the next five years, as one of four main priorities in its newly-launched 'homelessness and rough sleeping strategy'. The strategy will be in place from 2020-2025 and see the council 'investing in the delivery of good quality affordable housing and suitable temporary accommodation'. UDC's three other priorities are: ensuring that homelessness is prevented through early intervention, working to end all rough sleeping in Uttlesford and providing residents with 'high quality housing advice'. Read more on the Saffron Walden Reporter website.

https://www.saffronwaldenreporter.co.uk/news/uttlesford-district-council-releases-homelessness-strategy-1-6398289