Free up councils to tackle the housing crisis

The Local Government Association (LGA) is today launching a ‘Housing the Nation' campaign, calling on government to remove some of the restrictions hampering local authority efforts to tackle the nation's housing crisis.

The 'Housing the Nation' campaign is calling for:

• New housing developments with the necessary roads, schools and public amenities to support the people living there.
• Giving councils access to the money they need to build new homes and bring existing ones back up to scratch.
• Speeding up the process of bringing empty homes back into use.

A survey of frontline councillors carried out by the LGA reveals that public opposition is the single biggest barrier to the building of new homes. However, development which comes with appropriate infrastructure is nearly four times more likely to be supported by the public, according to the survey.

The LGA is warning that councils' efforts to ensure that all new developments come with the appropriate infrastructure like roads, schools and parks risk being undermined by government proposals to allow developers to force councils to re-open Section 106 agreements previously agreed with developers.

Cllr Keith House, Deputy Chairman of the LGA's Environment Board, said, "It is widely recognised by all that we desperately need new homes and at the moment, there simply aren't enough being built."

"Councils play a crucial role both in providing affordable and social housing and working with developers to plan new private sector housing. But to do this more effectively, local authorities need greater freedom and financial control to invest in new and existing homes. The constraints of Whitehall are preventing local authorities from tackling the housing crisis."

"By allowing local authorities the flexibility to finance new homes and make best use of the homes already available councils can play a role to turn the tide on the housing crisis and get to work providing the new homes the country so desperately needs."