September 17th 2008
Report reveals Home Truths

Bedfordshire’s largest social landlord is backing the call for more action to support the provision of more affordable housing, as a report reveals waiting lists are up by eight per cent.

Bedford-based bpha, which owns and manages more than 13,000 affordable homes across the region, is supporting the findings of a report by the National Housing Federation out this week.

The Home Truths report shows that there is an average of 2,500 people on the waiting lists for housing in each of the three local authority areas in Bedfordshire.

Average house prices are the highest in Mid-Bedfordshire at £236,065, where the average salary is just £23,124. This means that a house buyer without a sizeable deposit needs a mortgage of ten times their salary to get on the ladder.

John Cross, chief executive of bpha, said: “The case for increased investment in social housing is clear to see. Behind every one of these statistics is a household in need of assistance to access decent, affordable accommodation.

1. “However at this stage extra funding is not the obstacle we have to overcome to build more homes. The credit crunch is really impacting upon the house building industry - work on most sites has ground to a halt. People who might want to buy are also facing great difficulty getting affordable mortgages.

“We are committed to making the most of the funding available however more support is needed if we are to make a significant impact in reducing housing waiting lists.

1. “We have government funding available to build more affordable homes and there is more available if we can find the land on which to build these much-needed homes. We are committed to working with the local councils and the house builders to see if there are opportunities to bring forward the building of more affordable rented and shared ownership homes to help tackle the growing housing crisis in our region.

“Whilst the headlines might suggest that house prices are falling there is also a reality that the economic situation means rising repossession rates

“We are committed to helping people to access housing and are working with the Government to develop other initiatives, such as mortgage rescue packages, to further help local people.”

As well as providing homes for affordable rent, bpha is also the HomeBuy Agent for Bedfordshire, appointed by the Government to provide help and advice to those on lower incomes wanting to buy.

To find out more about help to buy a home contact the sales and marketing team, Keyhomes East, on 0845 456 6757 or visit www.keyhomes-east.org.uk

Home Truths report – fact file

East of England Home Truths is an annual report on the state of the social housing market in the East of England, published by the National Housing Federation.