Kate Barker has expressed her disappointment at the levels of overcrowding and widespread use of temporary housing resulting from a lack of new homes to accommodate some of Britain's poorest citizens.
In 2004, Barker's Treasury-commissioned report was described by the then chancellor, Gordon Brown, as the "most detailed housing review in 50 years", and it was hoped it would provide the blueprint for future governments to tackle the affordability and supply problems.
In the Barker review, the former Bank of England economist called for an additional 17,000-23,000 social rent homes to be built each year, on top of the 24,000 built in the year the review was published.
On the 20th anniversary of the publication of the report, Barker told the Guardian that one of her biggest disappointments was the lack of social rent homes being built, adding she was "shocked" at how low the numbers were.
She said the influence of her review had waned, with a number of recommendations about planning changes and affordability targets reversed or not implemented. Her most ambitious target was for the industry to build 297,000 homes a year. However, she said that target is "as far off today as it was in 2004".
Critics have argued that government funding in recent years has been allocated to other areas, such as affordable rent, where tenants pay about 80% of market rates, and shared ownership, whereby residents buy a share of the home and pay rent on the rest.
Esta historia es de la edición April 05, 2024 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 05, 2024 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Wall of online rage should not obscure beauty and ugliness
While the authorities have undermined fans’ trust, the truth is at risk of being buried under a mound of tinfoil hats
Surrey worthy winners as Championship takes eye
Nestled within a season of Test triumphs for England, it was atop-of-the-table county clash that truly stole the show
Strike it rich Footballers must find a moral compass before embarking on a journey of unity
IT he distant strains of The Internationale can be heard on the approach to the Etihad Stadium.
Sri Lanka President pledges 'era of renaissance as leftists come in from the cold
As he was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president yesterday morning, Anura Kumara Dissanayake heralded a \"new era of renaissance\" for the country.
Man reunited with lost family 73 years after he was abducted as a child
A man who was abducted as a sixyear-old while playing in a California park in 1951 has been found more than seven decades later thanks to the help of an online ancestry test, old photos and newspaper clippings.
Veteran activist Fonda issues rallying call to young voters
Young people's unhappiness with the Biden administration's record on oil and gas drilling and the war in Gaza should not deter them from voting to block Donald Trump from the US presidency, the Hollywood actor and activist Jane Fonda has urged.
Ex-partner of Pelicot co-accused fears she was raped
The former partner of a co-defendant in a mass rape trial that has prompted horror and protests in France has broken down in tears and told the court she may herself have been sexually assaulted.
Meloni to be presented with thinktank's global citizen award by Musk
Giorgia Meloni is to be presented with the Atlantic Council's global citizen award by Elon Musk in New York, as the Italian far-right prime minister resurrects links with allies of Donald Trump before the US presidential election.
French interior minister is sign 'reactionary right' are in power, critics warn
The new French interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, has promised to \"restore order\" by cracking down on crime and immigration as critics on the left said the new government was leaning too far towards the \"reactionary right\".
Show puts creator of first UK Holocaust memorial in the spotlight
The work of an overlooked GermanJewish artist who created the UK's first memorial to victims of Nazi persecution is to be the focus of an exhibition that shines light on the unreported aspects of his life.