§ Linda PerhamTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the definition of affordable housing; and what plans he has to alter that definition. [80528]
§ Mr. McNultyThere are no formal definitions of affordable housing within housing policy. For the purposes of securing affordable housing through the planning system, affordable housing encompasses low-cost market and subsidised housing (irrespective of tenure, ownership—whether exclusive or shared—or financial arrangements) that will be available to people who cannot afford to rent or buy houses generally available on the open market. Local authorities are expected to define through their local plans what they consider to be affordable in the plan area in terms of the relationship between local income levels and house prices or rents for different types of households.
The research report, "Delivering Affordable Housing through Planning Policy", published by DTLR in February 2002, noted that local authorities were not consistent in defining affordable housing, with a tendency in the south to equate affordable housing with social rented housing, and not to consider the full range of alternatives. The report concluded that local authorities should ensure their consideration of affordable housing, including the wider definition given to it by national planning guidance. There are no plans to make the definition less flexible.