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More than 100 councils fall short as first ‘housing delivery test’ results revealed
The government has released its first ever ‘assessments of housing delivery’, with 108 councils falling short and 86 required to add more land for housing to local plans as a result.
After months of delay, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government this afternoon revealed its assessment of housing delivery for England’s local authorities going back to 2015/16 against the actual number of homes delivered.
The government deems 95% delivery of assessed need as the pass rate, and 109 organisations missed this target, including the London Legacy Development Corporation.
The figures will be used to incentivise councils to drive up housing delivery, with a “presumption in favour of sustainable development” the ultimate sanction for poor performance. A total of 58 councils could face this penalty by 2020 unless their development increases.
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Councils that deliver between 85% and 95% of assessed need must develop an action plan, while those that deliver between 25% and 85% must identify 20% more land for development than originally required in the five-year supply included in local plans.
Based on the current figures (see table below), a total of 117 areas (which includes one development corporation) delivered less housing than was needed over the past three years.
Among these, 109 fell below the 95% pass mark, with 87 of these below 85% and facing the introduction of a 20% ‘buffer’. The remaining 22 must develop action plans to increase delivery.
The lowest percentage was recorded by the New Forest, which saw 755 homes built against an assessed need of 2,144 – 35% of its assessed need.
The government had originally promised to publish this data in November but missed its deadline. Inside Housing revealed this morning that it would be published this week.
No councils will face a presumption of sustainable development as a result of this first batch of assessments, which would only kick in this year if delivery fell below 25%.
However, under current plans this threshold will increase to 45% for the current year’s figures (due to be published in November) and to 75% from 2020. Based on the current figures, seven areas (Adur, Thanet, Barking and Dagenham, City of London, Redbridge, Calderdale, and New Forest) would be caught by this threshold this year.
A further 58 would be affected by 2020.
In total, 219 councils delivered at least 95% of homes they were assessed as needing, which means no further action is taken. Of these, 205 delivered 100% of the assessment or more.
The thresholds, which are calculated by dividing a needs assessment derived from household projections or up-to-date local plans by the actual number of homes delivered, has been criticised for underestimating need in areas of low household growth.
Local authorities have also warned that it is too simplistic, and builders have said it will underestimate housing need.
In total, the needs assessment delivered a target figure of 598,851 across England over the three-year period and total delivery of 679,738. This means its assessment is that some 80,000 more homes than necessary were built in this period.
The calculations assessed 28 areas as delivering more than 200% of the necessary housing over the period.
The biggest anomaly was Redditch, in Worcestershire, which was assessed as having delivered 2,048% of the required homes since 2015/16.
The calculations said the area only needed 37 new homes across the whole period – including -28 in 2017/18. Redditch saw 748 new homes built in this time.
Housing minister Kit Malthouse said: “These figures show that a majority of councils are rising to the challenge and delivering the homes their communities need.”
Redditch and New Forest councils were contacted for comment.
Housing delivery test results
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the below information on 19 February 2019.
The table shows the percentage of housing delivered against government assessment of need between 2015/16 and 2017/18
| Local authority area | Housing delivery test result | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Adur | 41% | Buffer |
| Allerdale | 278% | None |
| Amber Valley | 145% | None |
| Arun | 91% | Action plan |
| Ashfield | 116% | None |
| Ashford | 110% | None |
| Aylesbury Vale | 133% | None |
| Babergh | 88% | Action plan |
| Barking and Dagenham | 43% | Buffer |
| Barnet | 82% | Buffer |
| Barnsley | 103% | None |
| Barrow-in-Furness | NA | None |
| Basildon | 75% | Buffer |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 76% | Buffer |
| Bassetlaw | 141% | None |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 267% | None |
| Bedford | 129% | None |
| Bexley | 89% | Action plan |
| Birmingham | 108% | None |
| Blaby | 254% | None |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 72% | Buffer |
| Blackpool | 100% | None |
| Bolsover | 131% | None |
| Bolton | 60% | Buffer |
| Boston | 109% | None |
| Bournemouth | 84% | Buffer |
| Bracknell Forest | 75% | Buffer |
| Bradford | 76% | Buffer |
| Braintree | 93% | Action plan |
| Breckland | 119% | None |
| Brent | 98% | None |
| Brentwood | 51% | Buffer |
| Brighton and Hove | 77% | Buffer |
| Bristol, City of | 99% | None |
| Broadland; Norwich; South Norfolk | 133% | None |
| Broadland; Norwich; South Norfolk | 133% | None |
| Broadland; Norwich; South Norfolk | 133% | None |
| Bromley | 110% | None |
| Bromsgrove | 94% | Action plan |
| Broxbourne | 67% | Buffer |
| Broxtowe | 67% | Buffer |
| Burnley | 388% | None |
| Bury | 60% | Buffer |
| Calderdale | 36% | Buffer |
| Cambridge | 388% | None |
| Camden | 106% | None |
| Cannock Chase | 138% | None |
| Canterbury | 117% | None |
| Carlisle | 248% | None |
| Castle Point | 48% | Buffer |
| Central Bedfordshire | 110% | None |
| Charnwood | 123% | None |
| Chelmsford | 138% | None |
| Cheltenham | 108% | None |
| Cherwell | 233% | None |
| Cheshire East | 183% | None |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 365% | None |
| Chesterfield | 66% | Buffer |
| Chichester | 126% | None |
| Chiltern | 132% | None |
| Chorley | 133% | None |
| Christchurch; East Dorset | 75% | Buffer |
| Christchurch; East Dorset | 75% | Buffer |
| City of London | 42% | Buffer |
| Colchester | 120% | None |
| Copeland | 242% | None |
| Corby | 113% | None |
| Cornwall | 133% | None |
| Cotswold | 268% | None |
| County Durham | 116% | None |
| Coventry | 105% | None |
| Craven | 146% | None |
| Crawley | 181% | None |
| Croydon | 151% | None |
| Dacorum | 153% | None |
| Darlington | 182% | None |
| Dartford | 181% | None |
| Daventry | 110% | None |
| Derby | 113% | None |
| Derbyshire Dales | 93% | Action plan |
| Doncaster | 194% | None |
| Dover | 131% | None |
| Dudley | 101% | None |
| Ealing | 108% | None |
| East Cambridgeshire | 52% | Buffer |
| East Devon | 149% | None |
| East Hampshire | 104% | None |
| East Hertfordshire | 76% | Buffer |
| East Lindsey | 96% | None |
| East Northamptonshire | 164% | None |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 114% | None |
| East Staffordshire | 133% | None |
| Eastbourne | 73% | Buffer |
| Eastleigh | 115% | None |
| Eden | 194% | None |
| Elmbridge | 62% | Buffer |
| Enfield | 85% | Action plan |
| Epping Forest | 49% | Buffer |
| Epsom and Ewell | 57% | Buffer |
| Erewash | 66% | Buffer |
| Exeter | 144% | None |
| Fareham | 137% | None |
| Fenland | 97% | None |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 139% | None |
| Forest Heath | 100% | None |
| Forest of Dean | 100% | None |
| Fylde | 172% | None |
| Gateshead | 50% | Buffer |
| Gedling | 51% | Buffer |
| Gloucester | 143% | None |
| Gosport | 111% | None |
| Gravesham | 64% | Buffer |
| Great Yarmouth | 67% | Buffer |
| Greenwich | 108% | None |
| Guildford | 75% | Buffer |
| Hackney | 82% | Buffer |
| Halton | 193% | None |
| Hambleton | 230% | None |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 189% | None |
| Harborough | 150% | None |
| Haringey | 48% | Buffer |
| Harlow | 84% | Buffer |
| Harrogate | 113% | None |
| Harrow | 175% | None |
| Hart | 278% | None |
| Hartlepool | 168% | None |
| Hastings | 98% | None |
| Havant | 147% | None |
| Havering | 49% | Buffer |
| Herefordshire, County of | 74% | Buffer |
| Hertsmere | 158% | None |
| High Peak | 118% | None |
| Hillingdon | 182% | None |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 141% | None |
| Horsham | 141% | None |
| Hounslow | 78% | Buffer |
| Huntingdonshire | 92% | Action plan |
| Hyndburn | 137% | None |
| Ipswich | 66% | Buffer |
| Isle of Wight | 71% | Buffer |
| Isles of Scilly | NA | None |
| Islington | 71% | Buffer |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 137% | None |
| Kettering | 129% | None |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 91% | Action plan |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 165% | None |
| Kingston upon Thames | 75% | Buffer |
| Kirklees | 75% | Buffer |
| Knowsley | 182% | None |
| Lambeth | 125% | None |
| Lancaster | 167% | None |
| Leeds | 96% | None |
| Leicester | 129% | None |
| Lewes | 50% | Buffer |
| Lewisham | 95% | None |
| Lichfield | 102% | None |
| Lincoln; North Kesteven; West Lindsey | 112% | None |
| Lincoln; North Kesteven; West Lindsey | 112% | None |
| Lincoln; North Kesteven; West Lindsey | 112% | None |
| Liverpool | 193% | None |
| London Legacy Development Corporation | 52% | Buffer |
| Luton | 178% | None |
| Maidstone | 112% | None |
| Maldon | 101% | None |
| Manchester | 97% | None |
| Mansfield | 112% | None |
| Medway | 47% | Buffer |
| Melton | 84% | Buffer |
| Mendip | 124% | None |
| Merton | 144% | None |
| Mid Devon | 135% | None |
| Mid Suffolk | 81% | Buffer |
| Mid Sussex | 110% | None |
| Middlesbrough | 231% | None |
| Milton Keynes | 85% | Action plan |
| Mole Valley | 77% | Buffer |
| New Forest | 35% | Buffer |
| Newark and Sherwood | 118% | None |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 244% | None |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 100% | None |
| Newham | 71% | Buffer |
| North Devon; Torridge | 128% | None |
| North Devon; Torridge | 128% | None |
| North Dorset | 82% | Buffer |
| North East Derbyshire | 156% | None |
| North East Lincolnshire | 115% | None |
| North Hertfordshire | 55% | Buffer |
| North Lincolnshire | 73% | Buffer |
| North Norfolk | 126% | None |
| North Somerset | 73% | Buffer |
| North Tyneside | 120% | None |
| North Warwickshire | 134% | None |
| North West Leicestershire | 316% | None |
| Northampton | 150% | None |
| Northumberland | 197% | None |
| Nottingham | 126% | None |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 105% | None |
| Oadby and Wigston | 177% | None |
| Oldham | 64% | Buffer |
| Oxford | 99% | None |
| Pendle | 73% | Buffer |
| Peterborough | 91% | Action plan |
| Plymouth | 202% | None |
| Poole | 68% | Buffer |
| Portsmouth | 122% | None |
| Preston | 252% | None |
| Purbeck | 132% | None |
| Reading | 165% | None |
| Redbridge | 38% | Buffer |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 292% | None |
| Redditch | 2046% | None |
| Reigate and Banstead | 119% | None |
| Ribble Valley | 260% | None |
| Richmond upon Thames | 141% | None |
| Richmondshire | 410% | None |
| Rochdale | 106% | None |
| Rochford | 75% | Buffer |
| Rossendale | 75% | Buffer |
| Rother | 69% | Buffer |
| Rotherham | 92% | Action plan |
| Rugby | 108% | None |
| Runnymede | 116% | None |
| Rushcliffe | 119% | None |
| Rushmoor | 123% | None |
| Rutland | 228% | None |
| Ryedale | 192% | None |
| Salford | 135% | None |
| Sandwell | 61% | Buffer |
| Scarborough | 241% | None |
| Sedgemoor | 102% | None |
| Sefton | 64% | Buffer |
| Selby | 154% | None |
| Sevenoaks | 94% | Action plan |
| Sheffield | 110% | None |
| Shropshire | 171% | None |
| Slough | 86% | Action plan |
| Solihull | 109% | None |
| South Bucks | 123% | None |
| South Cambridgeshire | 78% | Buffer |
| South Derbyshire | 114% | None |
| South Gloucestershire | 131% | None |
| South Hams | 191% | None |
| South Holland | 71% | Buffer |
| South Kesteven | 81% | Buffer |
| South Lakeland | 180% | None |
| South Northamptonshire | 119% | None |
| South Oxfordshire | 179% | None |
| South Ribble | 126% | None |
| South Somerset | 104% | None |
| South Staffordshire | 127% | None |
| South Tyneside | 105% | None |
| Southampton | 120% | None |
| Southend-on-Sea | 49% | Buffer |
| Southwark | 80% | Buffer |
| Spelthorne | 63% | Buffer |
| St Albans | 58% | Buffer |
| St Edmundsbury | 106% | None |
| St. Helens | 98% | None |
| Stafford | 224% | None |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 64% | Buffer |
| Stevenage | 100% | None |
| Stockport | 75% | Buffer |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 124% | None |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 143% | None |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 261% | None |
| Stroud | 94% | Action plan |
| Suffolk Coastal | 128% | None |
| Sunderland | 186% | None |
| Surrey Heath | 127% | None |
| Sutton | 149% | None |
| Swale | 74% | Buffer |
| Swindon | 121% | None |
| Tameside | 66% | Buffer |
| Tamworth | 86% | Action plan |
| Tandridge | 65% | Buffer |
| Taunton Deane | 191% | None |
| Teignbridge | 135% | None |
| Telford and Wrekin | 250% | None |
| Tendring | 78% | Buffer |
| Test Valley | 265% | None |
| Tewkesbury | 181% | None |
| Thanet | 44% | Buffer |
| Three Rivers | 67% | Buffer |
| Thurrock | 88% | Action plan |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 155% | None |
| Torbay | 90% | Action plan |
| Tower Hamlets | 100% | None |
| Trafford | 47% | Buffer |
| Tunbridge Wells | 88% | Action plan |
| Uttlesford | 147% | None |
| Vale of White Horse | 334% | None |
| Wakefield | 184% | None |
| Walsall | 99% | None |
| Waltham Forest | 122% | None |
| Wandsworth | 168% | None |
| Warrington | 55% | Buffer |
| Warwick | 132% | None |
| Watford | 108% | None |
| Waveney | 72% | Buffer |
| Waverley | 79% | Buffer |
| Wealden | 112% | None |
| Wellingborough | 104% | None |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 88% | Action plan |
| West Berkshire | 117% | None |
| West Devon | 69% | Buffer |
| West Dorset; Weymouth & Portland | 129% | None |
| West Dorset; Weymouth & Portland | 129% | None |
| West Lancashire | 179% | None |
| West Oxfordshire | 103% | None |
| West Somerset | 130% | None |
| Westminster | 116% | None |
| Wigan | 83% | Buffer |
| Wiltshire | 139% | None |
| Winchester | 121% | None |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 97% | None |
| Wirral | 73% | Buffer |
| Woking | 153% | None |
| Wokingham | 157% | None |
| Wolverhampton | 111% | None |
| Worcester; Malvern Hills; Wychavon | 187% | None |
| Worcester; Malvern Hills; Wychavon | 187% | None |
| Worcester; Malvern Hills; Wychavon | 187% | None |
| Worthing | 93% | Action plan |
| Wycombe | 107% | None |
| Wyre | 146% | None |
| Wyre Forest | 116% | None |
| York | 102% | None |
This story was updated shortly after publication to correct some small errors. Initially, it was reported 109 councils had under-delivered. The number is in fact 108 and one development corporation. In addition, 33 councils face a presumption in favour of development from 2020, not 57 as originally reported.
