Anne Baxendale, director of policy and campaigns at Shelter, said:
“The continuing struggle to rehouse people in Kensington & Chelsea following the dreadful Grenfell tragedy has exposed the dire shortage of social homes. But in spite of the desperate need, it remains astonishingly easy for developers and councils to wriggle out of building enough affordable homes.”
“Instead of treating affordable housing commitments as flimsy ‘nice to haves’, the government should step in to make sure they are respected as cast-iron, non-negotiable pledges. And if councils accept huge sums from developers in lieu of the homes promised, they must act quickly to either build the homes themselves, or pay someone else to do it.”
“If we want to eradicate this problem for good, we need a new system of housebuilding capable of delivering high-quality homes that people on lower incomes can actually afford to live in.”