Shortage of affordable homes in the Black Country and Staffordshire
A council leader has warned demand for affordable housing is "outstripping supply" in the Black Country - with thousands of people left waiting for cheaper homes.
Latest figures reveal a shortfall of 6,435 affordable properties across the Black Country and south Staffordshire, according to a joint council report.
The document, published in June 2017, also estimates there will be a shortage of 770 homes each year until new data is released in 2021.
It is feared coronavirus will have further accelerated this demand for cheaper homes due to job losses and reduced wages caused by the pandemic.
Sandwell Council's interim leader Maria Crompton said: "Over the past 15 years or so, demand has steadily outstripped supply.
"There is a clear need for more affordable housing in Sandwell and across the Black Country.
"The council is working with its Black Country local authority neighbours and other partners to identify all of the opportunities possible to deliver affordable housing for the future.
"Of course, the pandemic will increase demand for affordable housing."
With new housing estates popping up around the region, the Express & Star asked local councils what is being done to ensure enough affordable housing is being made available to residents.
Affordable housing is generally considered homes which can be bought or rented at 20 per cent or more below the market value.
Constraints
It comes as house prices rose by 5.6 per cent in August from the same month last year, according to Halifax which is one of Britain’s largest mortgage lenders.
In response to this newspaper's questions, councils say there is a policy in place to ensure that 25 per cent of homes on new developments - totalling 15 dwellings or more - must be affordable where financially viable.
However, while on paper this sounds feasible, in reality it is proving more difficult to achieve.
In Wolverhampton, most new housing developments are on brownfield sites which mean they are "not financially viable" locations, said councillor Jacqueline Sweetman, the city's cabinet member for housing.
She said: "Many development sites in Wolverhampton are brownfield sites with multiple constraints and so delivery of 25 per cent affordable housing is often not financially viable.
"The amount of affordable housing built each year is not enough to meet local needs and is typically less than the amount of affordable housing lost through right to buy each year."
"Therefore, to provide enough affordable housing of the right tenure to meet local needs, significantly more Government funding would be required."
However, Walsall Council leader Mike Bird says brownfield first scheme are good for affordable housing.
He said: "We do need more affordable homes and the brownfield first policy encourages smaller more affordable homes, with grants supporting the funding gap."
