Shelter’s response to the
government’s annual social housing sales figures
below:
-
In 2017-18, a total of 6,463 social homes
were delivered – 84% fewer than in 2010-11. This is
despite a slight increase in the overall number of
homes supplied (an extra 562) compared with the previous
year.
-
In 2017-18, a total of 20,891 social homes
were sold by local authorities and housing associations. This
means for every 3 homes sold, only 1 gets
built.
-
Since 2012-13 when the Right-to-Buy
replacement scheme was first introduced by the government a
total of 91,003 social homes have been sold off under
Right-to-Buy.
-
However, only 16,222 replacement social homes
have been started or bought. This means that for every 6 homes
sold through Right-to-Buy, only 1 new home is
delivered.
Greg Beales, campaign director at
Shelter, said: “These figures make it painfully
clear - we’re still delivering far fewer social homes than we’re
selling off.
“There is no easy way to gloss over the fact
that for every three homes sold, only one gets built. This is
nothing short of a disaster when hundreds of thousands of people
are currently homeless, and millions more are struggling in
deeply insecure and expensive private
renting.
“There’s an obvious solution - build more
social homes and ensure those sold are always replaced. That’s
why Shelter has launched a commission that will soon set out for
a vision for the pivotal role social housing must play in ending
the housing crisis.”
ENDS
Notes to
editors
-
The number of social homes delivered is the
number of additional social rent dwellings provided. The data
is published annually by MHCLG: Live tables on affordable
housing supply, Table
1006C.
-
The overall number of social homes sold is
the number of social homes sold through local authority,
preserved and voluntary right to buy sales and other sales such
as sales to the private sector. The data is published annually
by MHCLG: Live tables on social housing sales, Table
678
-
The number of social homes sold through
Right-to-Buy is the number of social homes sold through local
authority, preserved and voluntary right to buy sales. Source
MHCLG: Live tables on social housing sales, Table
678
-
The number of replacement homes is the number
of starts on site and acquisitions using Right-to-Buy receipts.
The data is published quarterly by MHCLG: Live tables on social
housing sales, Table
693 (There is no published data on the number
of homes completed using Right to Buy
receipts).
