Demand for social housing in Peterborough ‘far greater than properties available’

There are currently 4,560 households on the city’s Housing Register - a rise of 1,264 in the past 12 months.

However, over the same period only 795 social housing properties were advertised.

The council has significantly expanded the amount of temporary accommodation available for homeless families in recent years, but in a report submitted to councillors on the authority’s Adults and Communities Scrutiny Committee, director of housing needs and supply Mohamed Hussein acknowledges: “To meet increasing demand it remains important to secure the development of new permanent homes with a suitable mix of tenure.”

Another problem is a rise in house prices in Peterborough, with the average property based on sales now worth £222,420 - 8.8 times the average salary.

This is “making home ownership unaffordable for those on lower incomes,” Mr Hussein stated.

Moreover, a “buoyant” private rental sector has seen the average weekly rent for a one bedroom property rise to £126 by July.

This is £16 more than the Local Housing Allowance, with the gap rising to £34 per week for a four bedroom property.

The Local Housing Allowance is used to calculate housing benefit for tenants renting from private landlords.

In 2019/20, 380 one-bedroom social homes were let to tenants on Peterborough’s housing register despite there a waiting list of 1,904.

For two-bedroom homes, 260 homes were let compared to demand for 1,373 properties, while for three-bedroom homes, 126 homes were let despite demand for 905 such properties.

For four-bedroom homes, 29 properties were let despite demand for 284 properties.

The total amount of social housing stock in Peterborough is approximately 17,000.

In 2019/20, 281 new affordable housing homes were built in Peterborough, a “significant improvement” compared to the previous four year period where, on average, fewer than 150 new affordable homes were delivered per year.

It is expected that 301 affordable homes will be built in the current financial year, although the coronavirus pandemic may impact this figure the report adds.