“The number of new homes classed as social housing and available at the cheapest rents from councils remained historically low at a mere 6,287, the second-lowest level in peacetime since council house building began in earnest in 1921.
The shortfall in new affordable homes is likely to fuel householders’ reliance on the private rental market. New research also published on Wednesday showed such housing is almost completely unaffordable in many areas for people who rely on housing benefit, which has been frozen since 2016.
In a third of areas of England fewer than 10% of homes are now affordable to welfare recipients, according to a study by the Chartered Institute of Housing and the homelessness charity Crisis. That meant increasing numbers of people were being pushed into homelessness or forced to live in emergency or temporary accommodation, the charity said. …”
East Devon Watch 