Last month, a joint report from the Chartered Institute of Housing, the National Housing Federation and Shelter (The Housing Report, Edition 2) said the Government is failing to deliver on five out of ten key housing indicators including on housing supply, affordability of the private rented sector and homelessness. This month we have seen further, and more up to date, official statistics on homelessness (“Statutory Homelessness: January to March 2012 and 2011/12, England”) and the supply of affordable housing (“Homes and Communities Agency National Housing Statistics, 2011-12”) which, suggests the picture is worsening. Overall,
On affordable housing, perhaps the most contentious of these issues, the Government points to transition to the new Affordable Homes Programme which only came on stream last July; though, the Housing Minister had hardly prepared us for ‘things will get worst, before they get better’ scenario. Certainly there is a lot riding on that programme – a subject to which the House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee is turning their mind to this summer.
