Little is being delivered in drive for more social housing

There is clearly a significant need to deliver social housing in the borough and wider county so it is shocking to read ‘Just 15 homes for social rental were built in Shropshire across 2017/18 and 53 in Telford’.

The article goes on to report that ‘It is a massive drop in Shropshire, where in 2010/11, 258 were completed – more than in the last seven years combined’.

The article goes on to report the national picture with Melanie Rees, Chartered Institute of Housing head of policy and external affairs, who said: “It’s disappointing to see that so few of those homes are at the lowest social rents – the only truly affordable option for many people on lower incomes.”

It is also reported for the wider region that: ‘The research, by Heriot-Watt University, says simply building the right number of homes each year will not solve the crisis – they need to be the right type of homes.

Experts say in the West Midlands around 8,900 of the new homes, almost 40 per cent of the total, must be affordable homes for people on the lowest incomes, including social housing.’

This news suggests that little is being effectively delivered despite the ongoing planning permissions being granted for more and more housing in the borough and wider county.

What is also ironic is that social housing is typically built to higher standards of internal space and energy efficiency than the minimum standards of the private sector.

Just when the country needs to be building to minimise carbon emissions we are focused on minimum standards.

Robert Saunders, Apley

Send us your letters for publication:

Email us at starmail@shropshirestar.co.uk or write to: Readers’ Letters, Shropshire Star, Ketley, Telford, TF1 5HU. Letters MUST include the writer’s name, address and telephone number. Letters will only be published anonymously in exceptional circumstances. The editor reserves the right to condense or amend letters.