Peterborough missing affordable homes target by 400 a year

Peterborough City Council is only providing 152 affordable houses a year, compared to the 559 each year that are needed
The committee discussing the reportThe committee discussing the report
The committee discussing the report

The figures were presented to members of the council’s Growth, Environment & Resources Scrutiny Committee discussing the ‘Affordable Housing Need & Delivery in Peterborough Report’.

Anne Keogh, housing & strategic planning manager, said: “We are looking at allocating money in various ways including economic development and regeneration, strategic housing & planning.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She added: “However, not enough has been done, and I have to admit that in this last year things have slowed a bit.”

Cllr Stuart Martin was concerned that the authority would not be able to bridge the gap in the number of houses required. He said: “We need 559 affordable homes per year just to keep up in Peterborough, but your report says we’re only providing 152 homes at the moment. How will you ever catch up?”

Ms Keogh said: “We are doing as much as possible, but I feel that no council could fulfil all of its affordable housing requirements at one go, so we concentrate on the neediest first, and work from there.”

But Cllr Aasiyah Joseph said: “To just look at those in most need ostracises all those who are in social housing and rented properties. Surely that cannot be the right thing to do?”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ms Keogh said: “Yes, but if you open the priority to everyone all at once, you simply raise their expectations too high, and then we then can’t fulfil their needs.”

Cllr Ed Murphy called for urgent action. He told the meeting: “We must look urgently at the housing revenue account with the combined authority as I reckon we should be getting an extra £28 million from Mayor Palmer, but he seems fixated on paying out large sums of money to his mates at the moment, while we have an affordable housing crisis here in Peterborough.”

Robert Alexander, Local Democracy Reporting Service