Government-funded new social housing has plummeted

New statistics have shown that the number of new government-funded social homes has plummeted by 97 per cent since 2010.

The figures show that in 2010-11 – the year in which the Tories came to power in coalition with the Liberal Democrats - over 36,700 new socially rented homes were built with government money. However, figures for the the 2016-17 financial year that finished in April indicate that that number had fallen to just 1,102.

The government has persevered with the building of ‘affordable’ homes, despite many arguing that the rents are not actually affordable. Under the current system, rents can be charged at up to 80 per cent of market value. 20,854 homes at ‘affordable’ rent were completed last year compared to just 1,102 at social rents.

The figures also revealed that the total number of affordable homes built with government money decreased from 55,909 to 27,792 between 2010-11 and 2016-17.

John Healey, Labour’s Shadow Housing Minister, said: “These disastrous figures show the Conservative Ministers have washed their hands of any responsibility to build the homes families on low and middle incomes need. The number of government-funded social rented homes built has plummeted by 97 per cent since 2010. After seven years of failure, the Conservatives have no plan to fix the housing crisis. A Labour government would invest in the affordable homes that the country needs.”