Austerity and reform to affordable housing policy

The recession has created significant challenges for the government with regard to providing affordable housing. Even during the UK’s housing boom the supply of housing failed to keep pace with demand. Therefore, increasing housing supply and improving affordability in a recessionary period will require the government to innovatively utilise their limited resources. Following the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2010 severe cuts to the housing budget were made and radical reforms to housing and planning policy have been proposed by the coalition government. The paper briefly discusses the UK housing market and affordable housing policy and practice recently employed in England. Subsequently a discussion of the coalition government’s recent reforms to housing and planning policy, concerning affordable housing, is presented.