England loses thousands of social homes as building fails to keep pace

More social homes are being sold or demolished than they are being built, according to government figures.

Data by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reveals in England, 16,291 social homes were either sold or demolished last year, yet just 10,807 social homes were built.

Housing charities Crisis and Shelter have called for the government to deliver 90,000 social homes a year.

Trauma and indignity of homelessness

According to the data, in England there was a net loss of 3,834 homes for social rent, more than double the number lost in the previous year.

Matt Downie, chief executive at Crisis, said: “Behind the figures are hundreds of thousands of people facing the trauma and indignity of homelessness because we are not building new social homes at anywhere close to the scale required.

“This comes at a time when record numbers of people are sleeping on the streets or trapped in temporary accommodation with nowhere else to turn.

“On taking office, the government promised to deliver a new generation of social homes. We back them to the hilt on this ambition, but fear they are on course to fail unless urgent action is taken.”

Build 90,000 social homes

Crisis has now echoed Shelter’s calls for the government to build 90,000 social homes a year to tackle the housing crisis.

Mr Downie adds: “The best evidence shows that we need 90,000 social homes delivered a year to turn the tide on rising homelessness, but we’re a far cry from that. In London, there have already been moves to reduce affordable housebuilding targets, which we worry will have a long-term impact on delivering social homes for generations to come.

“Government must go further and faster, bringing forward promised funding to boost the delivery of social homes and setting a national minimum target on large-scale housing developments to focus minds. A ‘Britain Built For All’ must provide enough safe, secure homes for people on the lowest incomes.”