I will certainly take the noble Lord’s point back. Our affordable homes funding is front-loaded, as we want to continue our strong tradition of delivering affordable homes for lower-income families. The noble Lord, Lord Kerslake, will recall that our previous affordable homes programme overdelivered by 23,000, totalling 193,000 affordable homes delivered in England between 2011 and 2015. From 2018 onwards there will be substantial further funding going into the system through receipts from right to buy and the sale of vacant, high-value assets to generate additional homes for every one sold.
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I turn now to Amendment 48. As I have made clear in responses to previous amendments, the Government are committed to investing further in the delivery of affordable houses, and local authorities will still be expected to plan their housing development around the needs of their communities. However, our manifesto was clear that we would build 200,000 starter homes and this is central to our housing ambitions. Clause 4
provides for a starter home requirement to be set for new developments. We will publish details in a technical consultation shortly and will take into consideration all views so that we get this right. We want a degree of flexibility with the requirement to allow for exemptions and viability considerations.
Once in place, local planning authorities will need to apply their plan policies including those on affordable housing in light of the legal starter homes requirement. We expect them to seek other forms of affordable housing, such as social rent, alongside the starter homes requirement where it would be viable to do so. Local planning authorities have the option to release more land for housing to ensure they are delivering as much housing of all tenures as is needed. The amendment would serve to make starter homes an afterthought. It would deprioritise the needs and aspirations of these young people. I hope the noble Lord will recognise the importance of supporting young people into home ownership and withdraw his amendment
Amendments 48A, 48C, 48F, 49 and 50B all require that the starter homes requirement will apply in a local authority area only once a full assessment of the need for starter homes in that area has been completed. Specific types of housing are referenced, including supported housing and retirement housing. But this clause is about taking action now, as noble Lords have just articulated, and we need to help young people access home ownership due to the increasing challenges they face in getting on to the property ladder.
I understand that housing markets and needs differ across the country but the aspiration to own a new home does not. Every first-time buyer under the age of 40 should have the same opportunity to buy a starter home. I do not expect that there is a single local authority in the country where no one wants a starter home. Indeed, the 69,000 people who have chosen to register on the Home Builders Federation website for information on starter homes are drawn from all over the county—Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and many small rural communities.
Amendments 50 and 50D seek to amend Clause 4 to exempt various types of sites from the requirement to provide starter homes, particularly where specialist housing is being provided for and in age-restricted schemes. Specialist housing is a vital part of meeting housing need. The noble Lords, Lord Campbell-Savours and Lord Stoneham, challenged me on how to protect these groups. Over the spending review there will be £400 million for 8,000 affordable specialist homes for elderly and vulnerable people and those with disabilities.
I have just realised that I have possibly missed out an amendment—yes, Amendment 48B from the noble Earl, Lord Listowel. He talked about families requiring temporary accommodation and accommodation for key workers. There are a range of tenures available which could accommodate key workers and councils can promote affordable housing schemes for key workers if that is a particular need in that area. Furthermore, under the Homelessness Act 2002 all local housing authorities must have in place a homelessness strategy setting out the local authority’s plans for the prevention of homelessness. In developing the strategy the local housing authority must work with all relevant agencies
in the local area. Housing needs are already considered carefully at the local level and I do not think the amendment is necessary.
I want to answer the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Cameron, about building starter homes when more affordable housing is needed in rural areas. We are consulting on planning reforms to allow starter homes on rural exception sites to help villages thrive. That includes an option to retain local connection tests on these sites.
I think that that is probably it. I hope that at this very late hour, with that set of explanations, noble Lords will feel free not to press their amendments.