Local authorities 'missing housebuilding targets'
Local authorities have missed regional targets for building new homes every year since 2002, new figures reveal.
Statistics published by the umbrella body the National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations in England, also show that regional housebuilding targets were missed in every region in 2008/09 – the latest year for which figures are available.
Over the whole period 2002/03 to 2008/09, London missed its target by 32 per cent, building 142,180 homes against a published target of 210,000, while the North-East missed its target by 19 per cent, delivering 47,000 homes against a target of 58,350, according to the NHF figures. The South-West missed its target by 18 per cent, with 123,110 homes built against a target of 150,823, the figures show.
The region that came closest to meeting its target during this period was Yorkshire and the Humber, which built 100,830 homes, missing its target of 110,100 by 8 per cent, according to the figures.
In 2008/09, the North-East missed its target by 51 per cent, building 4,540 homes against a target of 9,279, according to the figures. The figures show that East Midlands missed its target by 49 per cent and Yorkshire and the Humber by 48 per cent.
The region that came nearest to meeting its target for 2008-09 was the South-East, which built 27,830 new homes against a target of 32,700 – missing its target by 15 per cent.
Regional targets are drawn up by regional assemblies in consultation with local authorities, housing and regeneration quango the Homes & Communities Agency and its predecessor the Housing Corporation, and regional government offices. The first targets were issued under the regional planning guidance system but, since 2004, targets have been increasingly set through regional spatial strategies, the NHF said.
David Orr, chief executive of the NHF, said: "Through identifying housing need at a local level, regional planning authorities and government agencies set out how many homes they think can realistically delivered to meet housing need in each region.
"Failure to build the right number of homes across the country means that thousands of households are being condemned to the misery of poor and unsuitable housing."
He added: "Urgent action is required to get housebuilding back on track – if we fail to build the right number of homes now, we will simply store up more problems for the future. Council housing waiting lists will grow and homelessness and overcrowding will get worse."