§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many affordable homes(a) were built and (b) are estimated to be built in (i) deep rural and (ii) mixed rural areas in each year from 1996 to 2016. [58931]
§ Mr. McNultyI have been asked to reply.
Available information on affordable housing units completed by social landlords since 1996–97 in local authority districts classified as either "deep" or "mixed" rural are presented in the following table.
601W
New affordable housing units completed: England 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 Deep rural authorities Local authority 37 16 1 18 2 n/a Registered Social Landlords 851 2,022 1,541 1,462 1,280 1,121 Total new affordable housing units 888 2,038 1,542 1,480 1,282 n/a Mixed Rural authorities Local authority 84 57 36 1 62 n/a Registered Social Landlords 3,047 6,599 5,945 4,849 4,722 3,965 Total new affordable housing units 3,131 6,656 5,981 4,850 4,784 n/a All Rural authorities Local authority 121 73 37 19 64 n/a Registered Social Landlords 3,898 8,621 7,486 6,311 6,002 5,086 Total new affordable housing units 4,019 8,694 7,523 6,330 6,066 n/a Notes:
Registered Social Landlord (RSL) completions represent units funded through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme and/or via local authorities with Local Authority Social Housing Grant (LASHG).
Affordable housing schemes by RSLs comprise those for rent (including Tariff, and Mixed Funded schemes); temporary social housing schemes (including MiniHag, and short-life housing); and shared or outright ownership schemes (including leasehold for the elderly). RSL schemes will include "off-the-shelf' purchases from private developers, and other
additions to RSL stock through acquisition and refurbishment.
Sources:
LA new-build from DTLR housing activity monthly P2 returns.
RSL provision from Housing Corporation returns.
No precise information on affordable homes constructed without public funding is available. Provisional data covering 2000–01 were collected as part of the Housing Investment Programme Statistical Appendices for the first time last year, but returns were incomplete. We have made changes to this year's return to encourage more complete reporting.
Central Government does not make long-term forecasts of affordable housing build. We expect local authorities to plan to meet the housing requirements of the whole community including those in need of affordable housing.
The Government recognise the importance of affordable housing in maintaining balanced and successful rural communities, and is doubling the size of the Housing Corporation's programme to deliver affordable housing in small rural settlements (with a population of 3,000 or less), from 800 in 2000–01 to 1,600 homes a year by 2003–04. We expect to deliver around 9,000 affordable homes annually in rural areas by 2003–04, including the 1,600 in small rural settlements.