Cornwall delivers second highest number of affordable homes in England
The council has revealed 814 affordable homes were offered in the Duchy between 2020-21
Last updated 12th Jan 2022
Cornwall has delivered the second highest number of affordable homes in England in the past year, the latest government figures show.
The recent data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities shows the Duchy completed 814 affordable homes in 2020-21.
This figure comes from 52,100 houses which were delivered nationally.
There were also 57,417 starts on site in England in the same year.
Olly Monk, Cornwall Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning, said: "This is great news and shows that we are consistently delivering some of the highest levels of affordable housing in the country.
"I’d like to thank our Housing and Planning teams for everything they do to facilitate this, as well as partner Registered Providers – and developers – who have provided these homes for our residents".
The county also saw the second-highest amount of affordable properties in England in 10 years with 8,172 homes built between 2011-2021.
Future steps include more affordable housing options including social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership.
Social rent, which is also known as council housing, is the focus of Cornwall Council's development programme currently, with current housing figures being the first step of many.
Shared Ownership is another option provided by the Council and Registered Providers allowing families to buy a share of a home and pay a discounted rent on the remainder.
Housing development plans which are being run as a top priority for Cornwall Council hope to help people to take a step on the property ladder in the Duchy.
Olly Monk continued: "There is more to do; we have ambitious plans for the future and we want to speed up delivery and deliver more overall, so that we can work towards consistently coming out top in the league tables in the future.
"However, it’s worth highlighting that this data shows the delivery of affordable housing is a continued challenge across the country and not a problem confined to Cornwall".
The council is holding a Facebook live debate on Cornwall's housing crisis on Wednesday 12 January and you can watch that at the link below...