LGA comments on Shelter housing report
0The LGA has responded to a cross-party commission brought together by Shelter, which has called on the government to invest in a 20-year housebuilding programme and to extend the social housing eligibility criteria.
Cllr Martin Tett, housing spokesman for the LGA said: “The last time we built enough homes councils built 40 per cent of them.
“We need to get back to those levels if we’re to tackle our housing crisis, building a new generation of at least 100,000 high quality social homes a year.
“However, every housing market is different and resolving the challenge must mean allowing every council to ensure that new and existing social housing best meets local need.
“Critical to this goal will be allowing councils to keep 100 per cent of their Right to Buy receipts and to set discounts locally.”
Shelter’s social housing commission calls for 3.1 million new homes to be built across the country.
Capital Economics has concluded that the proposals would cost of £3.8bn a year, once savings on housing benefit and higher tax revenue are deducted from the total.
The current Right to Buy policy was put in place by “Reinvigorating RTB” in March 2012.
