Three quarters of us agree we have a housing crisis. In London, it is mentioned more often than Brexit as a national issue. The Budget made some moves in the right direction, but new money to encourage first-time buyers – which will put up prices, but not necessarily increase supply – has far exceeded extra funding for building affordable social housing.
The only time we have built houses at the volume we now need was pre-1980. The peak was 1967, when the state itself funded housebuilding directly.
Want full article access?
Receive The MJ magazine each week and gain access to all the content on this website with a subscription.
Full website content includes additional, exclusive commentary and analysis on the issues affecting local government.
Already a subscriber? Login