Number of social homes in England falls by over 17,000, figures show
Social housing stock in England dropped by over 17,000 in the last year as waiting lists for homes increased, according to the latest release of government figures.
Homelessness charity Shelter described the fall as “absolutely outrageous” and demanded the chancellor, Sajid Javid, earmarked extra funds for social homes in his first Budget in March.
According to the statistics, there has been a four per cent increase in the number of households in the country waiting for a social home, with 1.15 million currently on the list.
But the data also adds there are 17,453 fewer social homes available, due 23,740 being sold or demolished and 6,287 being delivered by the government in 2018-2019.
Polly Neate, the chief executive of Shelter, said: “With over a million families in desperate need of social housing, it is absolutely outrageous that we are haemorrhaging thousands of secure social homes every year. These homes cannot afford to be lost.
“Homes are being sold off or demolished with no replacements built. All the while families are forced to live in overcrowded conditions, single parents are making the impossible choice of eating or paying the rent, and children are growing up homeless in grim B&Bs.
She added: “Too many people are spending years waiting for a social home that isn’t coming. The government has said now is the time to invest in the future – they must ensure a new generation of social homes in part of that future.
“With the budget just around the corner, housing cannot be ignored when the government gets it chequebook out.”
Last year the organisation wanted an additional three million social homes were needed to solve the housing crisis, urging ministers to invest £214bn in a 20-year housebuilding programme that would “reverse the decay” of social mobility in Britain.
Immediately after Boris Johnson’s decisive general election victory last month, the government vowed to bring forward a social housing white paper for those in the social rented sector.
“We will bring forward a social housing white paper which will set out further measures to empower tenants and support the continued supply of social homes,” the government said in December.
“This will include measures to provide greater redress, better regulation and improve the quality of social housing.”
Labour’s election manifesto had promised to deliver at least 150,000 homes for council and social rent, marking the “biggest council housebuilding programme in more than a generation”.
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