Affordable rental homes in town up by 2%, figures show

The number of affordable rental homes rose slightly in Scarborough last year, bucking an overall decline across England.
There are six affordable homes for every 120 people, the most recent Scarborough count discovered.There are six affordable homes for every 120 people, the most recent Scarborough count discovered.
There are six affordable homes for every 120 people, the most recent Scarborough count discovered.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government data shows there were 6,790 social and affordable rentals in Scarborough in 2018, when the most recent count took place – six homes for every 100 people.

This was up 2% from the previous year, when there were 6,690.

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Across the country, social and affordable rented properties managed by councils and housing associations continue to represent less of the housing stock.

The campaign group Generation Rent says the trend is forcing families into “poor-quality” homes.

Growing home ownership and the rise of the private rental sector mean social and affordable rentals account for a smaller share of the homes in England, dropping from 20% in 2001 to 17% last year.

In Scarborough, by comparison, they account for 12%.

Head of policy at the National Housing Federation, James Prestwich, said the Government needs to build 145,000 affordable homes each year, including 90,000 for social rent, to meet demand, adding that rough sleeping has risen by 169%.

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Housing minister Kit Malthouse said: “Since 2010 the number of homes for social and affordable rent has increased by 79,000 and we’re giving councils the tools they need to push on and deliver a new generation of social housing.”

Article by data reporter Alex Shaw.