We’re backing the NHF’s campaign calling for a long-term plan to solve the housing crisis

The National Housing Federation (NHF) has launched a campaign urging political parties to commit to a long-term national plan to solve the housing crisis which would support thousands of households in the West Midlands.

Many families are in desperate need of a safe, suitable and affordable home and we are backing the campaign, alongside several other housing associations in the West Midlands, ahead of the mayoral elections.

Figures provided by the NHF found that 64,382 households were on the waiting list for social housing in 2022/23 and only 13,579 new social housing lettings were available across the West Midlands.

This is broken down into:

• Coventry – 7,469 households on the waiting list and 1,991 new social lettings were available
• Birmingham – 20,625 households on the waiting list and 4,557 new social lettings were available
• Hereford – 1,520 households on the waiting list and 740 new social lettings were available
• Worcester – 3,238 households on the waiting list and 368 new social lettings were available

This means on average across the West Midlands at the current rate of lettings, and if no other households joined the waiting lists, it could take just under five years before every household currently on the waiting list can move into a suitable home that they can afford.

Our chief executive Kevin Rodgers said: “As rising house prices continue to outpace wages and where the average price of a home is over eight times average wages, the West Midlands desperately needs more affordable homes to serve a thriving economy.

“Clear political direction and support is critical if we are to provide the right homes of the right quality for the people of the West Midlands.”

The shortage of affordable homes in the region means that more and more people have had to turn to living in expensive, insecure private rented homes. This has left many facing impossible choices as they struggle to balance rent with other essential bills, or risk facing homelessness.

The widening gap between the demand for social housing and the availability of it is not an anomaly in our region. It is a result of decades of underfunding and underinvestment in affordable homes by successive governments. This has led to a chronic shortage of social housing and contributed to the housing crisis we’re in today.

Housing associations are ambitious to do more to tackle this crisis, but it will take a long-term commitment from local and national governments to address.

As the mayoral election in the West Midlands grows closer, access to affordable housing has become increasingly important among voters, with over half saying the government should prioritise building social housing, according to the NHF.

We’re joining the NHF’s call for political parties to commit to a long-term national plan to solve the housing crisis to support the thousands of households in the West Midlands in desperate need of a safe, suitable and affordable home.

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