Although the increased provision of some £150m by the government for the alleviation of homelessness is to be welcomed (10 December, page 11), it disguises the real problem that under Labour there has been a dramatic increase in both homelessness and the number of households in temporary accommodation.

This has been largely caused by a collapse in completions of new homes by housing associations.

The number of homeless households, excluding intentionally homeless, accepted by local authorities in England has increased from 102,000 in 1997 to more than 140,000 today. Similarly, the number of households in temporary accommodation has grown from 53,060 in 1997 to more than 120,000 today.

In the last seven years of the last Conservative government, housing associations completed 168,446 dwellings: an average of more than 24,000 a year.

In seven years under Labour housing associations completed 116,517 dwellings, averaging some 16,500 a year – more than 30% less.

The reduced output, of nearly 52,000 homes, is greater than the rise in the number of homeless households and constitutes a very large proportion of households in temporary accommodation.

Local authorities are judged on their performance; so should central government be. The key performance indicator, in addition to the number of homeless acceptances and the number of households in temporary accommodation, should be the completion of dwellings by housing associations, particularly for rent.

The main reason for the rise in homelessness under Labour has been the lamentable provision of new dwellings.

This is not the fault of housing associations but a combination of substantially reduced funding from central government and a rise in construction costs.

Whichever party wins the next general election, a key objective surely should be to increase social housing – at the very minimum to the level achieved by the last Conservative government.

Cllr Graham Facks-Martin, North Cornwall council

Source

Housing Today