Tag: affordable housing

Bishop of Exeter leads debate on the housing crisis in rural and coastal communities

On 24th July, the Bishop of Exeter tabled a question for short debate on the need to address housing issues in rural and coastal communities:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty’s Government what their plans are to address the housing crisis in rural and coastal communities.

My Lords, as bishop with pastoral care of one of the largest rural dioceses in England that boasts not one but two coastlines, I have become concerned about the escalating housing crisis in rural and coastal communities. If this is the true situation in Devon, I suspect it will be true for other parts of England, which is why I am encouraged by the number of colleagues from across the House who are speaking today. My hope is that we can distil wisdom that will reshape the housing policies of His Majesty’s Government.

We are all familiar with the problems of affordability caused by the chronic housing shortage that is having a disproportionate impact on people with low incomes. The Government, as they have admitted today, are falling woefully short of their own homebuilding target and, as a result, people are suffering, because they have nowhere to call home. Their health is diminished and community spirit is being eroded. In coastal and rural areas, particularly in tourist hotspots, the situation is compounded by second home ownership, holiday rentals and Airbnb lettings.

Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter leads debate on the housing crisis in rural and coastal communities”

Bishop of St Albans asks about affordable housing in rural communities

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the shortage of affordable housing in rural areas on 24th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, one of the challenges facing rural areas is an acute shortage of affordable housing. Statistics from the National Housing Federation show that social housing waiting lists in rural areas have grown by 31%, compared with just 3% in urban areas. That is having a huge impact on rural sustainability as the average age in those areas increases, leading to the closure of schools, post offices and so on. What is being done specifically to unblock this logjam in providing more affordable housing in rural areas?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about affordable housing in rural communities”

Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill: Bishop of Leeds supports new definition for affordable homes

On 20th April 2023, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. The Bishop of Leeds spoke in favour of an amendment that would tie the definition of “affordable homes” to median income:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I shall speak in support of Amendment 242 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Stunell. I do so having consulted the Bishop of Chelmsford, who leads for the Church of England on housing but is unable to be here today. It is clear, I think, that we need to rethink what genuinely affordable housing is and how an adequate supply can be delivered. In London, the south-east and many other areas across the country, the current affordable housing for rent definition of 20% below market rates makes little difference to those on a median income, let alone those in most need. Without redefinition, we will continue to work under the illusion that homes classed as affordable are helping to solve the housing affordability crisis, when for the most part they are not.

Of course, we need a multifaceted approach to solve the lack of affordable homes. I was interested to learn from the Bishop of Chelmsford that Vicky Ford MP has been addressing this in relation to Chelmsford. During her 10-minute rule Bill debate on 22 February, she spoke to the shortage of affordable housing we face locally and nationally. Her Affordable Housing (Conversion of Commercial Property) Bill would apply affordable housing obligations to conversions of commercial property to residential occupancy. The Bill is due its Second Reading in the Commons on 26 May, and we certainly hope that it will make some progress.

Continue reading “Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill: Bishop of Leeds supports new definition for affordable homes”

Bishop of St Albans asks about housing, schools and levelling up in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 1st February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote affordable housing developments in rural areas.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): The National Planning Policy Framework already makes clear that planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances in rural areas. Our Rural Exception Sites policy allows for the development of small affordable housing sites in rural areas, with the majority of housing on these sites being available to local people in perpetuity, and we published planning practice guidance in 2020 to help local authorities and developers bring more of these sites forward.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about housing, schools and levelling up in rural areas”

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about access to affordable housing

The Bishop of Chelmsford asked a question about government action to ensure affordable housing in light of the current cost of living on 15th December 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty’s Government, given the increased cost of living, what actions they will take to ensure that housing is affordable in relation to household incomes in (1) the private rented sector, (2) the social housing sector, and (3) for homeowners with mortgages.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): My Lords, the Government recognise the cost of living pressures that people are facing across this country, particularly this winter. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level following a boost in investment of nearly £1 billion in April 2020. The Government have also capped social housing rent increases for 2023-24 at 7% to protect social tenants from higher rent increases, and last week we published a mortgage support statement setting out the support available to mortgage holders.

Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about access to affordable housing”

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about affordable housing

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 14th November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • given the current definition of affordable housing in the National Planning Policy Framework, whether they consider that rents set at 80 per cent of market rates should continue to be described as ‘affordable rent’ when this represents more than a third of the income of the average tenant in such accommodation
  • whether they plan to calculate the affordability of housing on the basis of the income of potential tenants.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about affordable housing”

Bishop of Durham speaks about need for more social and affordable housing

The Bishop of Durham spoke in a debate on housing demand on 8th November 2022, emphasising the need to build more social housing and affordable homes:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I begin by commending the report and thank the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, for introducing this debate. I also commend the work of my right reverend friend the Bishop of Chelmsford, who, as the Church of England’s lead bishop for housing, has tirelessly engaged with this issue and the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill.

Last year, the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community published its Coming Home report, which set out a vision for housing to be sustainable, safe, stable, sociable and satisfying. It is through these values that strong and lasting communities can be built, enabling people to thrive and flourish. It was very interesting to note how warmly these five values were welcomed by the industry itself as a guide.

However, the reality is that a large proportion of housing in this country does not embody these values. It is widely stated that we face a housing crisis, including a shortage of social housing. Social housing is designed to help those whose needs are not served by the market, most commonly those on the lowest incomes. However, when Meeting Housing Demand was published, 1.9 million households were on local authority waiting lists for social housing in England. With rents and interest rates rapidly rising, more households are being pushed into poverty and this list is only growing longer.

Continue reading “Bishop of Durham speaks about need for more social and affordable housing”

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about affordable housing, housebuilding, and renters’ reform

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 2nd November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of raising the threshold at which affordable housing quotas apply, from developments of 10 houses to developments of (1) 40, and (2) 50 houses, on the creation of affordable housing stock.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): In August 2020, HMG consulted on raising the threshold at which affordable housing contributions are required from 10 units to 40 or 50 units. This was proposed as part of the ‘Changes to the Current Planning System’.

Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about affordable housing, housebuilding, and renters’ reform”

Bishop of St Albans asks about affordable housing

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made on their plans to scrap the new affordability rules for housing developments.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about affordable housing”

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about affordable housing

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 24th October 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to include a revision of the definition of affordable housing in the National Planning Policy Framework review.

Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about affordable housing”