Lichfields was commissioned by H4N to undertake research to provide its members with an understanding of:
- How the cost of living crisis is impacting the need for, and affordability of, affordable housing in the North of England (NoE);
- Whether Local Authorities (LA) in the NoE have a robust view of their affordable housing requirements;
- Whether enough affordable housing is actually being provided in the NoE, and whether it is actually affordable in the context of the cost of living crisis;
- Whether there is a greater need for Homes England intervention to bridge the financial gap in the delivery of genuinely affordable housing; and
- Whether changes to the methodology for identifying housing requirement are required including whether policy changes are required to enable flexibility to respond to economic changes through regular reviews of affordability; and if the definition of affordable housing in the NPPF should be amended.
The research found that the current system to deliver affordable housing is not working. Many LAs do not have an accurate or up-to-date picture of what the affordable housing need is in their area, and many are not delivering against the identified affordable need (whether up-to-date or not). Current mechanisms such as delivering affordable housing as part of larger schemes or Rural Exception Sites is simply not delivering enough. Clearly, wider planning reforms are needed and are being debated at a national level however, specific changes are needed to ensure that the right amount of genuinely affordable housing is delivered where it is needed.
