Councillors say housing crisis has worsened – SEC Newgate

Seventy four percent of councillors believe the UK’s housing crisis has worsened over the past year, with 66% describing the shortage in their local areas as severe.

The fourth edition of the National Planning Barometer by SEC Newgate, a strategic communications agency, mirrors 2023’s results in that the majority of planning committee members participating in its research identify a serious crisis in their local authorities. Many councillors call for more affordable and social housing to tackle the matter.

This year’s research also reveals that 68% of councillor respondents deem developers’ viability claims for affordable housing as the top challenge to housing delivery. Sixty two percent say the biggest delivery issue is a lack of funding for affordable housing.

SEC Newgate’s National Planning Barometer is an annual, nationally representative survey of councillors sitting on local authority planning committees across England and Wales.

It shows that only 19% of major planning applications were decided within the statutory 13-week period last year, “highlighting significant delays in the planning process due to resource constraints and increasing administrative burdens”.

According to the survey, providing affordable homes is the top focus for councillors – 70% ranked it in their top …