Wyre attacks Shelter over housing statistics

Wyre Council has hit back at claims made by charity Shelter that the borough ranks among the worst in the country for delivering enough affordable homes to meet local need.

Garry Payne, director of planning and regeneration at the council, said: "I am very disappointed at the blinkered comments by Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb claiming that Wyre needs to work harder to provide affordable homes.

"Had he taken the time to talk to us rather than accept the figures at face value he would have learned about the strong commitment of the council and its partners and the large strides we have already taken towards meeting almost impossible targets.

"Since 2008, our planning committee has granted approval to developments across Wyre with provision for a total of 232 affordable homes, with another 29 pending, although some of these have stalled due to market conditions

"We have also supported one developer in successfully securing almost £1m of Kick Start funding which means 58 affordable homes in Fleetwood in addition to those already secured via a section 106 agreement, giving a total of 70.

"And our largest registered social landlord, Regenda, has declared Wyre a gold authority for development investment after having to prioritise the areas it focuses development on. To have them pledge a long-term partnership with the borough shows they recognise our proactive approach to proving affordable homes.

"It is correct to state that 600 affordable homes per year are needed to meet need in Wyre and this is in addition to market housing. What has to be realised is that a borough that is 60% rural, open countryside and green belt, will never be able to develop out at such a high level.

"In addition, housing associations would never be able to access funds to support development of such magnitude.

"What Mr Robb also fails to recognise is that Wyre historically had a significant number of families on the homeless list but through the introduction of an imaginative homelessness policy, for the past two years the level of homeless families has been maintained at zero per cent. We welcome comments from Mr Robb on this significant achievement."

Founded in 1966, Shelter is a charity that was set up to help secure affordable housing for those who are homeless or are suffering in bad housing conditions.

Shelter said councils across England have been ranked "on the extent to which they and their partners have met the need for new affordable housing in their area". Shelter said this has been done using data sources in the public arena.

Shelter added that it looked at the average number of new affordable homes delivered in each area over a three year period, using statistics taken from the Communities and Local Government website. It said it gave "the fairest assessment as it takes account of the situation over time, smoothing out temporary blips".

Shelter then divided the average number of new affordable homes delivered by the number of new affordable homes needed in each area each year. Shelter said this showed what percentage of the annual need for new affordable homes is being met. It argued that "the more the council met the need for affordable housing, the higher the council appears on the ranking".

The housing league for the North West produced by Shelter showed the following results: