Deputy PM insists housing target can be met as extra £350m pledged for affordable homes Angela Rayner has insisted the government can meet its target to build 1.5m homes over the next five years as ministers pledged an extra £350m for housebuilding.
And pressed on whether the expected 250 increase of council homes was a big enough increase to meet the need, Ms Rayner said: "We think the measures we're taking will unlock thousands more council and social homes as part of that programme.
More than half of these extra homes will be for social rent, the government has said, while more than 250 council homes are expected to be made available through a £50m boost to the local authority housing fund.
According to housing charity Shelter, at least 90,000 social rent homes would need to be built each year for the next 10 years to clear most social housing waiting lists in England and to house every homeless household.
MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said there was a "dire need" for housing reform, with the lack of affordable homes forcing cash-strapped local authorities to haemorrhage their funds on temporary accommodation.
