Government is "failing to deliver" on housing crisis, says report

This is the second edition of the report and it warned that the Government is failing to deliver on five out of ten "key housing indicators", including housing supply, affordability of the private rented sector and homelessness.

The report assessed and has tracked 10 categories of housing need, and the second edition of the report showed that "the Government’s progress in addressing our national housing crisis is limited," said Grainia Long, chief executive of the CIH. The first edition of the Report allocated four red lights, three ambers, two greens and a wait-and-see and the second edition, seven months on, reveals five reds, three ambers and two greens.

The Government is failing to deliver on housing supply, which remains on red. Despite a minor increase in overall housing completions, there are still falling starts and a collapse of affordable starts and completions, the report said.

Homelessness, help with housing costs and the affordability of the private rented sector also remain on red as rough sleeping, the benefit claimant count and private rents continue to rise. The Government has also failed to tackle the problem of overcrowding, the report said.

Progress has been made on evictions, repossessions and arrears, because of falling repossessions and mortgage arrears, the report said. The number of empty homes also continues to fall.

“With the economy now in double dip recession, the pressures on the housing system will only increase and the government needs to step up its efforts in response and be more ambitious in its strategy to boost housing supply and activity in the wider housing sector," said Long. "Addressing the housing crisis in this way would also be a much-needed and powerful stimulus to economic growth.”

The report claimed that progress on planning and home ownership remains on amber because the potentially positive policy developments have not yet demonstrated improvement.

“Much more needs to be done to tackle this country’s dire housing crisis. Unless we build significantly more homes, it will only get worse," said David Orr of NHF.