The shine, for example, has been taken off the approved development programme funding increase by the abolition of the local authority social housing grant, which was estimated to have delivered up to 600 rural homes a year. And why wasn't it made mandatory to charge full council tax on second homes and let the council use the money to fund new social housing?
Of course, rural communities can be their own worst enemies. Every housing association has a horror story about shortage of land or long-drawn-out sagas trying to get projects past nimby councils. Even greenfield sites earmarked for development are not coming forward because councils are sticking too rigidly to the rule of building on brownfield first. The sooner the Audit Commission gets to grips with this, the better.
Rural campaigners claim that the measures to tackle waiting lists will prove just a drop in the ocean
The Housing Corporation has doubled the percentage of grant to make rural developments affordable, but housing associations have to ask themselves if are they being inventive enough to bring in more money. Hastoe Housing Association's formation of a group to thrash out these issues is a welcome move.
Source
Housing Today
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