17/07/2024
Call for affordable housing to be central to government’s building agenda
The government’s plans to boost housebuilding and reform the planning system have been welcomed by the east of England’s largest housing provider, Flagship Group.
But a commitment to increasing the supply of social and affordable homes should be at the heart of the government’s agenda, Helen Walsham, Flagship’s deputy chief executive and board member (pictured), said.
Today’s King’s Speech (July 17) outlined a raft of measures including new housebuilding targets and support for large infrastructure projects.
Ms Walsham said: "The measures announced today to 'get Britain building' are a step in the right direction, but we need a strong focus on social and affordable housing to truly address the housing crisis.
“With the cost of buying or renting a property on the open market so high, housing associations offer the only route to safe and affordable housing for many people.
“But we need more. There are 89,500 households on social housing waiting lists in the East of England alone, and 9,600 children in the east are living in temporary accommodation.”
The National Housing Federation (NHF) – the body that represents England’s social housing providers - said just one year of building 90,000 social rented homes would add £51.2 billion to the economy and support 140,000 jobs.
The NHF said longer-term benefits would include reducing homelessness, increased employment, and improved healthcare.
Ms Walsham called for the government to do more to help smaller building firms into the market, and encourage apprenticeships in construction-related fields.
Flagship delivered 743 new homes in the 2023-24 financial year, including 464 for affordable rent and 191 for shared ownership.
In June, Flagship announced plans to merge with another provider, Bromford, with plans to deliver 2,000 new homes each year for the next 30 years.
