The Government is spending more on the demand side of private house building than on supply, according to new analysis of figures from a housing charity.
Almost 65% (£28.7bn) of the £44.75bn financial support available to private developers is for helping people buy homes compared with the £16.05bn (35%) spent on actually building homes, reveals a re-examination of Shelter figures released in a report.
The charity believes this is pushing up house prices and has called on the new Government to put more resources into house building.
Pete Jefferys, senior policy officer for Shelter, said: “Too much taxpayer money is going into schemes that risk pushing house prices up even further out of reach for ordinary families instead of getting new homes built.
“Rather than repeat the mistakes of the past and prop up a market which hasn’t delivered, this Government has the chance to face things head on and put in place measures that will not only stimulate house building, but boost the economy as well.”
There must be significant reform of the house building market to build the homes that are needed to reach the Government’s targets, added Jefferys.
David Cameron’s government pledged in September last year to build a million new homes by 2020.
Shelter has added together cash for the demand side going to schemes such as Help to Buy Equity Loan (£12.5bn), Help to Buy ISA (£2.2bn) and Lifetime Isa (£2bn).
On the supply side is Rent to Buy (£400m), Home Building Fund (£3bn) and New Homes Bonus (£210m).
The report, Achieving the ambition: Building one million homes this Parliament, concluded that strong reform and investment is needed for the Government to reach its 2020 goal following the Brexit vote.
“Nothing less will successfully overcome the structural weaknesses of our house building system,” the analysis stated.
A full list of the schemes included in the calculations is given below. All figures were taken from the CIH UK Housing Review.
All current schemes supporting housing development in England | |||
Affordable rented housing | Date to be spent | Size of intervention | Supply/ Demand side |
Affordable Homes Programme
|
2015/16 – 2017/18 | £1bn | Supply |
HRA borrowing programme | 2015/16 – 2016/17 | £300m loans | Supply |
Specialist homes for older people | 2016/17 –
2020/21 |
£399m | Supply |
Care and support specialised housing fund | 2013/14 – 2017/18 | £315m | Supply |
Low cost home ownership | Date to be spent | Size of intervention | Supply/ Demand side |
Shared Ownership and new AHP programme | 2016/17 –
2020/21 |
£4.1bn | Supply |
Starter Homes | 2016/17 –
2020/21 |
£2.3bn | Supply |
Private house building intervention | Date to be spent | Size of intervention | Supply/ Demand side |
Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme(s)
|
2013/14-2020/21
|
£12.5bn loans | Demand |
Help to Buy Mortgage Guarantee
|
2013/14-2016/17
|
£12bn guarantees | Demand |
Help to Buy ISA
|
2015/16- 2019/20
|
£2.2bn | Demand |
Lifetime ISA
|
2017/18 onwards
|
£2bn | Demand |
Rent to Buy
|
2015/16-2020/21
|
£400m grants and loans | Supply |
PRS Guarantee
|
2013/14-2017/18
|
£3.5bn | Supply |
Estates Regeneration Programme
|
2016/17-2020/21
|
£140m | Supply |
Home Building Fund
|
2016/17-2020/21
|
£3bn loans | Supply |
Local Infrastructure Fund
|
2015/16-2020/21
|
£50m | Supply |
Locally-Led Garden Cities (Bicester)
|
2017/18- 2018/19
|
£19m | Supply |
Ebbsfleet development
|
2016/17-20/21
|
£310m | Supply |
New Homes Bonus | 2016- | £210m | Supply |
Total: £44.75bn |
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