Title

WHITEHALL

Housing policy 'in need of demolition'

The Government should take urgent action with 96% of councils describing their need for affordable housing as severe or moderate, a new report has said.

The Government should take urgent action with 96% of councils describing their need for affordable housing as severe or moderate, a new report has said.

Homes for all: Ensuring councils can deliver the homes we need by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) also found 87% did not think that starter homes would address the problem of affordability.

APSE's research found nine out of 10 councils are worried that the extension of Right to Buy will lead to less housing being available for social rent.

Kate Henderson, chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association, which contributed to the report, said: ‘Councils are concerned that government policy is not enabling them to deliver genuinely affordable housing - we need to have a housing strategy that provides affordable homes to all people.'

Chief executive of APSE, Paul O'Brien, added: ‘Our main message is we need government to put in place a housing strategy for the nation that provides decent homes for all.

‘Current housing policy is in need of demolition. 

‘The time has come to start afresh by putting local authorities and new council homes at the heart of a new housing strategy.'

 

WHITEHALL

Getting ready for the big LGR reset

By Ann McGauran | 26 February 2026

Anna Earnshaw talks to Ann McGauran about reorganisation’s biggest risk, and what central Government could do to ease the path towards unitarisation.

WHITEHALL

Designing the new council together

By Charlotte Platten | 26 February 2026

Members and the community must play their roles in shaping the future as councils go through local government reorganisation, say Nick Kilby and Charlotte Pl...

WHITEHALL

Connections with clout

By Paul Marinko | 26 February 2026

Ahead of The MJ’s LATCo Conference in Birmingham, Paul Marinko explores why local authority trading companies (LATCos) are fast becoming indispensable to cou...

WHITEHALL

Making change work for you

By Jessica Mullinger | 26 February 2026

LGR brings the promise of restructure and change to many organisations, impacting the individuals who work for them in different ways. Jessica Mullinger look...

Popular articles by William Eichler