An additional 40,000 “affordable rent” properties also became available, but at up to 80% of the market rate – considerably higher than for social housing. A lack of affordable homes is thought to be largely responsible for increases in rents that feed into higher social security costs. John Healey, the housing minister in the last Labour administration, called on Theresa May to rethink the government’s housing strategy. “It has also exacerbated the shortage of genuinely affordable homes. Theresa May must take this opportunity to break with six years of failure on housing and invest in genuinely affordable homes again.

Source: The Guardian September 17, 2016 21:47 UTC