HC Deb 14 June 1968 vol 766 c86W
Sir D. Renton

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what total number of units of housing accommodation are needed to house the present population; and how far the actual number of suitable units at present available falls short of the total number required.

Mr. MacColl

There is no fixed absolute measure of the need for housing units and so any estimate of need must be to some extent arbitrary.

Currently it is estimated there are about 17.9 million households in Great Britain requiring dwellings: this is on the assumption that these households comprise all families, plus all the existing non-family households, plus a quarter of the one-person households living as lodgers.

In addition to this need for 17.9 million dwellings, almost a further 1 million are needed to allow for a margin of vacant houses and for existing second homes, making the total estimated requirement approximately 189 million dwellings.

There are about 18 million dwellings leaving a shortfall of about 0.9 million in Great Britain in aggregate; the number of additional dwellings required is likely to be more than this in order to remove all local shortages.

Also, about 2 million existing dwellings are unfit and some other housing is deficient by modern standards—for example, about two and a quarter million fit dwellings in Great Britain are without fixed baths.

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