Nearly 250,000 Of The Cheapest Rented Homes Will Be Lost

Measures to support the building of new affordable rented homes is ‘desperately needed’, the Chartered Institute of Housing has said after it predicted nearly 250,000 of the cheapest rented homes could be lost between 2012 and 2020. CIH made the projections after figures released by the government showed the total number of such homes available at social rent fell by more than 120,000 between 2012 and 2016. Though 44,600 new homes were built for social rent over that period many more were lost because housing providers have converted them to higher affordable rents to raise extra income or sold them under the right to buy. And CIH is forecasting this will continue over the next four years. Read more on the CIH website.

Tory Plans Neglect Those Who Need Affordable Homes

Experts have accused David Cameron of offering cheap new homes for middle-income earners at the expense of those on low pay after the unveiling of his manifesto on housing. Outlining his promises in Colchester the prime minister pledged to solve Britain’s housing shortage at the same time as protecting the green belt. He even claimed the Conservatives would be building 200,000 homes a year by 2017 – three years sooner than Labour. Central to his offering was a pledge to double the number of discounted starter homes for first-time buyers.  Shelter accused Cameron of trying to solve an affordability crisis by getting rid of affordable housing and the CIH said “We are very concerned about these sites being exempt from section 106 agreements.” Read more on the Guardian website.