Parliamentary briefing on housing in our region

Yorkshire and Humber’s housing chiefs will be at the House of Commons this week to give a personal briefing to MPs over key housing issues facing the region.

The Parliamentary briefing, “Meeting the Housing Challenge”, will see a delegation from the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly travel to the House of Commons on Wednesday (17 October) to brief the region’s MPs and Peers.

The delegation, led by Assembly Chair Councillor Peter Box, Chair of the Regional Housing Board, Councillor Kris Hopkins and Chair of the Regional Planning Board, Councillor Steve Galloway, will stress that the region needs resources and flexibility to respond successfully to housing needs.

The briefing comes at a crucial time, coinciding with the release of recent Government proposals on the housing figures contained in the draft Regional Spatial Strategy as well as the National Housing Federation’s report on the region’s housing issues and the Government’s housing targets from last week’s Comprehensive Spending Review announcement.

Figures from these show that:

• Yorkshire and Humber has the most acute housing needs in the country with over 570,000 individuals on waiting lists for affordable homes
• The regional house price to income ratio is now 8.1 - a massive increase from 6.6 last year
• Average house prices have risen above £150,000 for the first time, more than double the 2001 average of £74,000
• The proposed changes to the draft Regional Spatial Strategy's housing requirements will mean an increase from 15,000 to 19,000 between 2004-2016 - the changes would require 22,000 additional homes a year between 2008-2026

“Yorkshire and Humber is in the middle of a debate around how we manage housing growth as a region. Figures show we have the biggest housing needs problem in the country and that house prices look set to rise dramatically over the next few years”, said Councillor Box.

“We are faced with diverse housing issues, from areas with some of the country’s least affordable houses to areas where markets are still weak and restructuring needs to continue.”

“It is crucial we engage with Government to find workable ways of tackling these issues. By holding this briefing, we hope to bring this debate to our MPs and Peers and get them involved in helping the region to gain the infrastructure and other support it needs.”

For more details, or if you would like to attend, please contact Jodie Speight at the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly, tel 01924 331602, e-mail jodie.speight@yhassembly.gov.uk