The Government’s programme for delivering affordable housing could be more ‘ambitious’ when it comes to wider objectives such as net zero, auditors say.
A new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) said that the Affordable Homes Programme focuses on the number of new homes built, but has few targets based on wider factors such as the quality or size of homes or environmental standards.
The DLUHC has also not fully defined the wider outcomes it wants from the programme, such as reductions in fuel poverty and the creation of mixed communities, according to the NAO’s report.
The auditors also reported that the DLUHC is likely to miss the housing targets it set out in the 2016 and 2021 iterations of the programme.
Under the 2016 programme, DLUHC forecasts it will achieve 96% of its target for housing starts, but some of these homes will not be built until 2032.
DLUHC expects 157,000 new homes will be completed under the 2021 programme by the time the programme has ended in 2028-29 compared with its target of ‘up to 180,000 should economic conditions allow’.
Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, commented: ‘Since 2015, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has made improvements to the running of the Affordable Homes Programme, but there are still areas it needs to address.
‘It should reassess targets to ensure the Programme is delivering affordable homes in areas that need them the most. It should also use the Programme to bring about greater value to other parts of government, and advance wider efforts around net zero.’
