England has a housing crisis. Not enough homes are being built, with a particular lack of social and affordable housing for those who are most at need in society. Analysis of the official figures from Shelter show that of the 1.15 million households currently on a waiting list for social housing, over 300,000 have been waiting for over ten years.
This is due to an overall decline in the number of social houses, with the number of social homes for rent falling below 300,000 in England, the lowest in recorded history. A report showed that 92% of local authorities were not building enough affordable housing. This has driven households to private, temporary rentals, which often have high rental prices and poor living conditions. Often when ‘affordable’ housing is built, it ends up linked to the area housing market and selling outwith the affordable pricing range for those in low income households.
Housing Statistics from Homes England showed that in 2019 there was a 19% reduction in homes completed for affordable rent in comparison to the previous year. There is an urgent need for more housing that is truly affordable and available to be rented as social housing.
What is social housing?
When we talk about social housing, we mean flats, bungalows and houses that are managed by local councils or not-for-profit housing associations. You will often hear them referred to as council housing. Social housing is governed to ensure that it is affordable, secure and of a decent living quality. It is cheaper to rent than privately owned and rented accommodation and provides long term tenancy options, giving renters a chance to settle and make a home, in comparison to private lets which are usually on a 6-12 month basis.
The alternative to social housing is often low quality, over-crowded properties or highly overpriced private tenancy agreements. Tenants that rent privately are often worried about reporting any faults of issues as it puts them at risk of being evicted. This compounds the low quality living conditions, which can be detrimental to both mental and physical health. The worst case scenario that can result from these housing situations is homelessness. Of course none of these should be viewed as a suitable solution for low income households.
To be deemed ‘social housing’ it has to have a few features. These are:
- Social housing has to be truly affordable
- Social housing should be allocated on the basis of need
- Social housing needs to be a long term solution, not subject to short term (6-12 months) tenancy agreements
- Social housing should be managed by councils or housing association
Homes being rented for ‘social’ purposes are at an all time low in recorded history, which is pushing people to financially strain and poor quality accommodation.
Why is more social housing needed in England?
What is causing the housing crisis in England? Fundamentally, it is caused by a lack of affordable housing and options for stable homes, which as we know is at an all time low. But there are multiple factors that are contributing to the lack of affordable housing, that increases the need for social housing. These reasons are:
- House prices are rising: House prices are on average 8 times the average salary, making it more difficult for people to afford home ownership than it has been previously.
- Private rentals are expensive: More people than ever are renting privately. Private rentals are expensive and unstable with the constant worry of eviction and relatively short-term tenancy agreements.
- Homelessness is on the rise: The result of the above is that many people are being forced out of their homes altogether. These people will then have to wait years for temporary accommodation and can end up sleeping on the street.
If these factors are not dealt with they will continue to decline and social housing will become more necessary. The only way to alleviate the housing pressure is to increase the supply of subsidised housing.
What are living standards and why are they important?
At its core, the housing crisis is a lack of affordable h