Calls to relax rules on cheaper homes attacked

2:00pm Sunday 26th August 2012 in News By Tom Edwards

PROPOSALS to relax rules on affordable house building have been slammed as “horrendous” by leading Worcester politicians.

Housing minister Grant Shapps has called for councils to water-down policies which compel developers to build affordable homes amid fears it is stopping many projects going ahead.

The construction industry has been lobbying ministers, insisting many developments are not worthwhile because of the double-dip recession.

In Worcester, any developers planning to build 12 properties or more are told to make sure 40 per cent are affordable. At a planning committee meeting, the idea of relaxing it was heavily criticised.

Councillor Aubrey Tarbuck said: “I’ve asked the question about our affordable housing waiting list and the fact is, we need 4,500 homes built right now to satisfy demand.

“If we can’t get affordable homes this way, how can we get them at all? It could be horrendous.” The idea was first muted in June, and was given more weight this week when the Policy Exchange, a think tank, published a raft of new suggestions to boost construction.

It included encouraging councils to sell off the most expensive large social housing in their areas to plough the cash back into new, cheaper ones elsewhere, as well as setting aside existing affordable housing rules.

Councillor Geoff Williams, chairman of the planning committee, said: “Without some form of compensation, it could threaten any local authority’s ability to deliver affordable housing. This is a key issue in this city given the size of the waiting list.”

Councillor Paul Denham added: “Our requirement to have 40 per cent affordable housing on new developments is just about the only mechanism which has helped the situation.

Sir Adrian Montague, a government adviser, has also called upon councils to relax affordable housing rules in a report, with Mr Shapps endorsing it as a “blueprint”. He believes too much focus on being placed on affordable homes at the expense of rented accommodation for young professionals.

Comments(3)

Jabbadad says...
7:37pm Sun 26 Aug 12

When Teresa May said that some people think that the Tories are the NASTY PARTY she was right on message, but they are proving to be worse.
I am attending meetings about Social housing where most if not all Social Landlords are aware that with the looming Welfare Reform Bill they visualise locally large numbers of existing Tenants being evicted for non payment of rent, and nationally thousands of our young people who are without jobs, for no fault of their own, will be on the streets.
So this further planning proposal which re-enforces the statements of some house owners say they don't mind Affordable Homes or Social Housing as long as it's not by them, affecting the values their 3 Car homes, just demonstrates how a disgraceful bunch of Tory Toffs are attacking the poor and less fortunate in this country, while making monumental mistakes on finance in Government.
MPs won't suffer they will still have a job and safe home, well to the end of this parliament anyway.When hopefully this disastrous co-alition government will end.
Locally we see the three Lib/Lab/Tory/Dems strutting the corridors of the Guildhall holding up process, yet without any proposals of their own or coming down from Clegg & Co.
Co- alition was seen by some as a form of Democracy, but not in the hands of the Tory and Lib/Lab/Tory/Dems.

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drbeat says...
11:52pm Mon 27 Aug 12

"I am attending meetings about Social housing where most if not all Social Landlords are aware that with the looming Welfare Reform Bill they visualise locally large numbers of existing Tenants being evicted for non payment of rent, and nationally thousands of our young people who are without jobs, for no fault of their own, will be on the streets."

Typical champagne socialist scaremongering above! Nice try Jabba! But housing should be for the masses, not the classes! Supply needs to increase, social housing needs to be scrapped and the planning laws need to be watered down!

Add all that to the coming glut of repo'd properties from the banks and we'll be looking at one almighty crash! And about time too!

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Jabbadad says...
12:27am Tue 28 Aug 12

Not scaremongering but actual facts. By making housing Benefit payments direct to the tenants, the social landlords who have the unenviable task of having by law to provide accommodation to those who ignore their responsibilities, ie paying their bills, bills which others do make provision for, this Government is walking blindly or premeditatedly into a situation whereby those who choose to spend their money and anyone elses money they can get hold of one way or the other on drugs, and who normally steal or sell themselves to fill this craving, will be handed a months rent plus other unemployment monies in one giro (several hundred pounds) and it seems that you are as blind or loyal to the Tories stupidity to think that they will pay their rent first. You need to take your dark glasses off. They won't pay the rent and they will be evicted under the new stronger rules (section 8 I think).
And if you would like to move off your Tory pathway you would see that in Europe Germany have more rented housing than privately owned, and this has not held them back.
As to your welcoming a property crash I hope that you find yourself among the first to be affected by this.

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