3:30pm Friday 19th March 2010
By Andy Tate, Parliamentary Correspondent
A huge shortfall in affordable homes in Sussex has been identified by a report showing how councils are failing to keep up with local demand.
The report, by housing charity Shelter, revealed that not a single local authority in the county had delivered as many affordable homes as experts said were needed in their area.
Councils are responsible for identifying local housing need and for ensuring enough affordable homes are provided to meet this need.
However, Shelter’s research found every council except Crawley delivered less than half the number of homes identified as needed by the latest Strategic Housing Market Assessments or Housing Needs Studies.
The worst performer in Sussex over an average 12-month period was Wealden, which provided just 6% of the affordable homes demanded. Adur delivered just 10%. Brighton and Hove provided 26% and Crawley, by contrast, delivered 92%.
Neil Parkin, leader of Adur District Council, attributed the lack of affordable homes built in his patch to the lack of housebuilding in general during the recession.
Shelter’s chief executive, Campbell Robb, said: “Councils must work far harder to ensure more desperately needed affordable homes are provided if they ever hope to meet the housing needs of the local population.”
The findings form part of Shelter’s Housing League Table, which provides local housing data including house prices, housing waiting lists and levels of housing delivery.
For more information go to: www.shelter.org.uk/housingleaguetabledata
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