An influential group of MPs has warned several Whitehall departments, including the DCLG, have a long way to go in selling off public land to build new homes.
In a report published today, the Public Accounts Committee said the Department for Communities and Local Government needs to speed the process up, so the Government can reach its target of releasing enough land to build 160,000 homes by 2020.
The committee warned the departments would have to ‘significantly’ accelerate the sale of land in order to meet the 2020 target.
According to the report, DCLG had only disposed of 12% of its target by March, while the Department for Transport achieved only 0.2%.
In total, the MPs estimated that the Government still had to find land for around another 149,000 homes by April 2020.
The committee also found the majority of sites already identified by Whitehall departments for future sale were still being used to deliver public services.
‘There is a desperate need for new homes and public land is an irreplaceable asset,’ said committee chair, Meg Hillier.
‘Taxpayers clearly have a right to know whether they are getting a good deal from its sale and how many homes are being built as a result.’
A spokesman for the DCLG said: ‘Since 2010, we acted quickly to free up public land to enable more than 100,000 homes to be built for hard working families and first time buyers.
‘We are also taking direct action, by using surplus public land and £2bn of investment to accelerate delivery of thousands of new homes during this parliament.’
