3.6 million people in the North living in housing poverty: call for government to take action

Our latest research has found 3.6 million people in the North – 23% of the Northern population, and 32% of children – are pushed into poverty after paying their housing costs.  

 The situation is made worse by higher than average numbers of people in the lowest income bracket living in the private rented sector (PRS). In the North, 25% of people in the lowest income bracket live in the PRS, compared to 18%, on average, in England. The PRS is the tenure with the highest weekly costs and the worst quality homes, with 24% of privately rented homes in the North not meeting decent homes standards.  

 The recent decision by the government to once again freeze Local Housing Allowance will see a further increase in poverty faced by those on lowest incomes in the PRS, as their housing benefit will not keep pace with rising rents.  

 Chief Executive of the Northern Housing Consortium, Tracy Harrison, said:  

 “It’s clear that housing costs are pushing people in the North into poverty and that millions are struggling to afford their living costs. There is a lack of social housing and as a result, household budgets are squeezed and people are often forced to live in poor quality, insecure housing in the private rented sector.  

“The impact on the mental and physical health of those affected cannot be underestimated. This situation is the result of successive governments’ housing policies, and we are calling on the Government to work together with the housing sector to put things right. 

“We’ve been pleased to see the new government is prioritising housing, but more needs to be done. It is vital that action is taken to make sure that everyone in the North has access to a good quality, safe home. This means building more social housing, injecting funding, and regulating to improve the quality of all rented homes. 

 “The recent decision to freeze Local Housing Allowance must also be reversed to avoid pushing more people on low incomes in privately rented homes into poverty and making things worse for those who are already struggling.” 

 

To make sure everyone in the North has access to a good quality affordable home, we’re calling on the Government to:  

• Announce a new long-term Affordable Homes Programme with: 

• • social rent as the main tenure  

• • greater flexibility to deliver regeneration projects 

• • more influence for Mayoral Combined Authorities to direct funding to meet local priorities.  

 

• Unlock up to 320,000 homes in the North through a ten-year £4.2bn programme to remediate all the North’s brownfield land.  

 

• Improve the quality of all rented homes in the North with a significant injection of funds. This should include: 

• • Integrated funding that supports both housing-led regeneration at a local level and work to upgrade existing homes, alongside a new Decent Homes Standard applied to both the social and private rented sectors 

• • Resources to build capacity within Local Authorities to be able to regulate new standards in the private rented sector, including through the introduction of a new selective licensing schemes. 

 

The findings come from ‘Housing Poverty in the North – an old challenge with a new look’, a keynote chapter from Northern Housing Monitor. The full report will be released early next year.  

In this video Becky and Jade share how the challenges outlined in the report have impacted them. Before moving into her new Yorkshire Home Becky had struggled to afford a home which was suitable for her family. Jade and her family’s mental and physical health suffered badly when she lived in a private rented home with numerous problems her landlord failed to fix. Since moving into a Bernicia home she feels like a weight has been lifted.