Recommendation 2

Housing providers do not always build in areas of higher demand. There is a mismatch between where housing providers build compared to areas of highest need. The Department tells local authorities how many homes, not just affordable homes, they should deliver each year but does not use the Programme to target local authorities with the highest need for housing. Under strategic bidding, housing providers only state the region, not the local authority, in which they intend to build. Local authorities lack power to shape development in their local areas and have few powers to insist that housing providers build the right type of homes for local people. Recommendation: The Department should consider how it can work with local authorities to take greater account in the Programme of local need for affordable homes.