%D 2024
%T Local Authority Direct Provision of Housing: Fourth Research Report
%A Janice Morphet
%A Benjamin Clifford
%C London, UK
%X This fourth report follows the same methodological approach of desk research, direct
questionnaire survey to local government officers, roundtable discussions and case
study interviews to interrogate the current picture around the direct delivery of housing
by local authorities across England as our previous reports published in 2017, 2019
and 2021.
Since our previous report published in 2021, there has been an era of continuing
change for all organisations engaged in the provision of housing not least local
authorities. These changes have both increased the pressure on local authorities
to provide more homes and the challenges that councils face in making any provision
to meet their local housing need. The first part of this report outlines the key
developments over the last two years, including financial context issues such as
increases in mortgage costs for purchasers affecting the supply of new homes, the
supply of private rented accommodation and inflation and housing benefit and rent
matters. Housing context issues such as concerns over non-decent homes, the need
to house refugees and asylum seekers and increased concern with housing safety,
retrofitting and the climate change have also evolved. Planning reform continues apace
including updates to the NPPF, discussion of housing targets and five year housing land
supplies, biodiversity net gain and nutrient neutrality rules, and changes to planning
gain and viability appraisals. There have also been policy changes very directly linked to
social housing including around Right to Buy receipt use and retention, Public Works
6
Loans Board borrowing rates and the pressures of local government austerity and the
spate of section 114 notices related to local government finances.
We then turn to our new research data. Our desk survey of published information from
every local authority across England shows that programmes of development are
increasing in some areas but may be reduced or extended in others by inflationary
costs in construction. Overall, there is a growth in housing acquisition. For those
councils which have committed to larger programmes, delivery teams appear to be
seeking a range of methods to continue with delivery despite these challenges. In some
cases there is still a focus on using council land within existing housing estates but
elsewhere, car parks, depots, council offices, former schools and other buildings are
being used to provide homes
%O This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
%I University College London
%L discovery10188376