Shadow housing secretary says more social homes will also help boost mortgage affordability for first time buyers
Angela Rayner has pledged to boost social housing delivery, in her first comments since being appointed shadow housing secretary.
Rayner, who is also deputy Labour leader, this morning pledged to increase the delivery of social homes as well as homes for first time buyers.
Speaking on Today on Radio 4, Rayner said: “We haven’t got enough social housing in this country…that’s kind of having an impact on whether you can buy your first home”.
>>See also: Five things you need to know about Angela Rayner
She said the fact people are paying more to rent privately is making it harder for people to get on the housing ladder, a situation which she says is creating “challenges and blockages across the whole of the housing market.”
It was not clear from Rayner’s comments the extent to which Labour’s plan for ‘social housing’ refers to social rented homes, as opposed to the affordable rented homes which have made up the bulk of annual social housing units delivered over the past 10 years (see chart below)
Source: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities / Office for National Statistics
Affordable rents are commonly set higher, at up to 80% of the market rent in some areas of the country, whereas social rents are usually lower at around 50% of market rent.
Rayner also reiterated Labour’s plan to look at the government’s planning reforms and said ministers had “completely failed” to build the homes we need.
In June, Rayner’s predecessor Lisa Nandy said a Labour government would rethink the planning system and tackle the taboo of green belt development, saying that it would release “poor-quality ex-industrial land and dilapidated, neglected shrubland” that is classed as green belt to build more housing.
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