Latest rural housing and homelessness figures explained

The government has published the latest housing statistics covering affordable and social housing completions, the social housing waiting list, and homelessness. But what do the latest housing figures tell us? And what needs to be done to tackle the rural housing crisis?

In 2023, we launched a report which exposed the hidden crisis in the countryside: a chronic lack of affordable housing and skyrocketing homelessness. Thousands of you joined us in demanding action from the government. The rural affordable housing crisis is being propelled by several factors which the government needs to act on. We’re pushing for some crucial amendments to the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB) to tackle the crisis head-on.

We need to rethink what we mean by ‘affordable’ housing, aligning it with real local incomes so it genuinely reflects what people can afford. At the same time, we must rebalance the planning system to work for local people and communities, not just developers. For too long, volume housebuilders have dominated the market, restricting supply and delivering poor-quality homes in the wrong places. It’s time to diversify the housing sector and put quality, affordability and community at its heart.

Affordable and social housing

Figures show that affordable housing ‘completions’ (houses ready to live in) are increasing. There were 16,847 completions in the 2023-24 year in rural areas, which is almost a 70% increase since the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework in 2012.

But the reality is a bit more complex. Firstly, affordable housing completions have actually decreased in the North West and South West by 6.2% and 8.9% respectively. And let’s not forget that the government’s current definition of ‘affordable’ is not fit for purpose – we’d rather see affordability linked to average local incomes, rather than 80% of market rate, which can be anything but affordable. Of the 16,847 ‘affordable’ housing completions between 2023-24, just 831 were for social rent. That tells you all you need to know about how ‘affordable’ the houses being built really are.

Although social housing completions have increased in percentage terms in two areas (North East and West Midlands) since 2012, in real terms these figures are low.

Social housing waiting lists

The social housing waiting list in rural areas has slightly decreased, but it would still take almost 82 years to clear the backlog, which is completely unacceptable. Overall, there are over 231,056 people on social housing waiting lists in rural England (which is slightly down in the shorter-term, but increasing long-term). In the South West, there are almost 65,000 people on social housing waiting lists, and this is despite a 33% decrease since 2012. Other areas such as the North East and North West have seen increases of up to 18%. 

Homelessness

Homelessness in rural areas has increased year-on-year, with a 73% increase since 2018. The most recent figures show that there are almost 28,000 homeless people in rural areas, highest in the South West with almost 7,000 people without a home.

A new definition of ‘rural’

It’s worth nothing the definition of ‘rural’ has changed, now focusing on how easily people can access towns (‘Relative Access’) and where most people actually live, rather than fixed area labels. This gives a more accurate picture of daily life and affects comparisons with past data.

What we want to see

Everyone has the right to an affordable, safe and healthy home, and yet homelessness and lack of affordable housing is a hidden – and growing crisis in our countryside. So what can we do about it? And what can the government do about it?

• Firstly, the government should redefine ‘affordable’ in policy terms. Without a fairer and more accurate definition, reflecting local incomes, current definitions of affordable are anything but, and it means their figures in this area carry little weight.
• We need to reform ‘hope value’, which inflates the price of land, to make it a more viable option for social housing.
• Local voices should be at the heart of planning. When you work with people, not against them, oppositions decrease and outcomes improve. We want to see more support for community-led development, and greater local participation in planning.
• We need to tackle short-term lets and second homes, which are ripping the heart from rural communities and restricting the availability of affordable housing. We want to see more planning controls and more conditions on these properties, along with better protections for homes from becoming short-term lets in the future.
• We need to see higher design standards: better quality homes and not the poor quality, identikit homes that the volume housebuilders have been delivering.  

What’s next: influencing the Planning & Infrastructure Bill

The PIB is a critical opportunity to tackle the housing crisis and deliver genuinely affordable, sustainable homes in a way that protects nature. In addition to giving evidence on new towns and calling for affordability to be at the heart of the PIB, we’ve got plenty of plans to influence the bill as part of our Vision for Planning.

Check back soon for opportunities to help us advocate for real solutions to tackle the rural housing crisis.