Vast majority of rural councils have no targets for social housing, study finds

New research reveals a serious shortfall in rural social housing, with only 20 per cent of local authorities setting targets to deliver it.

A new report from countryside charity CPRE, produced with UWE Bristol researchers, has revealed a concerning picture of under-supply and inadequate planning for social housing across England’s 84 rural local authorities.

The new research reveals that only 20 per cent of rural local authorities have set specific targets for social rent housing in their Local Plans, the documents that set out the long-term development needs for an area. Several rural local authorities have no plans to build any new social housing.

The report follows a decision by the government to scrap rural targets for new affordable homes in its new Social and Affordable Housing Programme. CPRE research shows that there are currently more than 300,000 people on waiting lists for social housing in rural England.

While the recent adoption of the government’s new way to calculate housing demand (the Standard Method) has led to an overestimation in some parts of the country, the new research shows that 79 per cent of rural local authorities have consistently under-supplied new homes compared to the number of new households. Housing shortfalls range from 41 homes in Wyre to a staggering 28,625 homes in Dorset.

Between 1997 and 2023, ‘affordable’ homes, defined as costing up to 80 per cent of market value, made up a consistent 31 per cent of total housing delivery. However, this figure varies dramatically across different areas, ranging from just two per cent in Horsham to 61 per cent in North Warwickshire.

Danni Sinnett, Professor of Sustainable Built Environments at UWE Bristol, said: “Housing in much of rural England is unaffordable for local people and robust planning policies are essential to delivering more affordable homes and reducing inequality.

“Whilst this study found examples of really strong policies for social housing in some rural authorities, in others the policy requirements were more modest and did not appear to be based on the evidence of local need.”

In light of the findings of the study, CPRE is calling on the government to make the inclusion of social housing and affordable homes a condition of planning permission for all new development, and support Homes England to help rural local authorities to increase the delivery of new social and affordable homes.