Over a third of UK local authorities failed to reach their housing delivery targets in 2019.
In total, 34% of local authorities fell short of meeting their housing targets for 2019 with some struggling to get anywhere near, according to the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government’s ‘Housing Delivery Targets 2019’ data set.
Of the 307 UK local authorities, ten had failed to complete more than 50 per cent of their estimated targets with 107 local authorities falling short of the overall target.
The area of Basildon was tasked with building 1,076 homes in 2019 yet was only able to complete 340 by the end of 2018/19, just 31.5 per cent of the total.
Similarly, Eastbourne’s 130 completed new homes last year was a mere 18 per cent of the expected built homes last year.
However, the statistics also reveal that the UK is exceeding local authority targets and has for the past three years at least.
UK local authorities collectively required 219,441 homes to be erected in 2018/19 with developers actually creating 236,914 new homes last year.
The data set also suggests, this is a recurring trend. Local authorities were charged with building 589,043 homes since 2016. However, the UK’s local authorities were able to build 13.2 per cent (667,344) more homes during this time.
Whilst the new home totals are significantly short of the government’s ambition to build 300,000 new homes by 2025, surpassing a quarter of a million homes in a year will enable the government to meet their manifesto pledge of a million new homes by the expiration of their current tenure.
The government now need to ensure that appropriate housing is available in the areas that need it. Unfortunately, the third of local authorities failing to reach their targets have done so for the past three years which suggests a property shortfall in these areas.
Jonny Britton, Co-founder Chief Executive of LandTech, commented:
“What’s clear from this data is that a lot of homes are being built – but it’s still not enough.
“We know that developers are eager to do more. We work with housebuilders of all shapes and sizes, and the appetite to build houses is there.
“Supporting these developers – with new datasets and wider access to technology – will help them deliver the right houses, in the right places.”
“We’ve seen firsthand the impact it’s had as LandInsight users have been able to find opportunities for new housing in sites that might once have been overlooked.”
Do you think new political certainty will create enough economic stability and construction sector confidence to help ensure housing targets are met in the future?
