Data from official statistics shows how many dwellings by tenure, have been built between 1981 and 2021. Completions of permanent dwellings totalled 72,500 over the period. Of these, 11,000 consisted of social housing, 15.2% of the total.
Period | Private Enterprise | Housing Associations | Local Authority | All Social housing | All |
81-90 | 18300 | 400 | 3300 | 3700 | 22000 |
91-00 | 12600 | 2000 | 500 | 2600 | 15200 |
01-10 | 16200 | 2400 | 0 | 2400 | 18600 |
11-20 | 15600 | 2200 | 200 | 2400 | 16800 |
No | 62800 | 7000 | 4100 | 11000 | 72500 |
% | 86.6 | 9.7 | 5.7 | 15.2 | 100.0 |
[Source: Table 253 Housebuilding: permanent dwellings started and completed, by tenure and district].
Looking at the change up to 2023, gives a total of 11,600 social dwellings built. This compares to a loss of 10,800 through Right to Buy sales, resulting in a gain of 800 dwellings.
Is social housing affordable?
There is a degree of confusion regarding the affordability of social housing. Various changes in social housing provision have resulted in different types of social rent tenure as set out below.
Type or tenure | Description |
Social rent | These properties are provided by local authorities and some registered providers. The rent for these properties will be set at a level dictated by the national rent regime. Social rented properties are the most affordable being approximately 55% of private rents. These properties are let in line with the allocations policy. |
Affordable rent | These properties are provided by local authorities and registered providers and are subject to a control that requires the level to be no more than 80% of local market rent. Affordable rent properties are let in the same way as social rented properties but can also be provided by Community Led Housing organisations. |
[Great Yarmouth Borough Council, https://www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/article/6005/What-are-the-different-types-of-affordable-housing]
Recent analysis of the data indicates that a very small share of new social housing is actually provided for social rent.
"There are a variety of tenures, including social rent, affordable rent, intermediate rent, affordable homeownership, and shared ownership. Of these, affordable rent, shared ownership and social rent houses are the most commonly built, comprising 45.5%, 32.8% and 11.4% respectively of completions in 2020 – 21."
[Hill, S, 2022, Reversing the decline of social housing, New Economics Foundation]
It should be noted that Table 253 does not provide a full picture of the number of additional dwellings over the period. Using the net additions figures plus estimates derived from changes in household spaces from the census, indicates an additional 30,600 properties were added to Cornwall’s housing stock. This implies that a total of 103,100 dwellings were provided over the 40 year period, of which ‘other provision’ accounted for 29.7%. Net additions consist of permanent dwellings plus conversions, other additions minus demolitions. The total for other provision is shown below.
Period | Other provision |
81-90 | 5700 |
91-00 | 7400 |
01-10 | 7300 |
11-20 | 10300 |
Total | 30600 |
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