General Debate on Social Housing

There will be a General Debate on Social Housing in the House of Commons Chamber on 13 June 2019.

The need for subsidised housing provision has long been recognised. The cost of private sector housing that meets acceptable standards, compared with the level and distribution of incomes and assets, means that significant numbers of households lack the resources to make a demand for decent housing effective in the market. Without subsidised housing, these households can fail to obtain housing of a decent standard.

Historically, homes for social rent (with rents set at around 50% of market rents) and affordable home ownership have been the main source of new affordable housing. However, 2011 saw the introduction of social sector development with rents of up to 80% of market rents (referred to as affordable rents). According to some commentators, this has undermined the ability of even the social sector to supply housing that is truly affordable.

This debate pack contains a summary of information and statistics relevant to current policy and discussion on the social rented sector. The pack focuses on England but sections 1.7 to 1.9 provide links to policy developments in the devolved administrations.