Social and Affordable Homes: Banbury
1/45. What steps he is taking to build more social and affordable homes in Banbury.
Our manifesto committed us to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation, and we intend to do just that. Our £39 billion social and affordable homes programme will build around 300,000 homes over its 10-year lifetime, of which at least 60% will be social rent, ensuring that communities such as Banbury get the social and affordable homes they so desperately need.
Do you all represent Banbury? I am trying to find out why they all think they are in Banbury. I thought it had only one MP.
Nearly 11,000 homes in Cherwell district have been granted planning permission but remain unbuilt. This causes understandable frustration for local residents and the thousands of people in housing need. Will the Minister set out what action the Government are taking to improve build-out so that much-needed homes are built and delivered?
My hon. Friend is a powerful advocate for the interests of Banbury, and he has rightly and forcefully conveyed the message that the communities he represents expect homes, infrastructure and services that have been promised as part of a planning approval to be delivered as quickly as possible. I am sure he will welcome the fact that the new draft national planning policy framework, on which the Government are currently consulting, proposes to strengthen national policies to ensure that major residential developments are deliverable within a reasonable period. He will also be reassured to know that we intend to take further action to incentivise faster build-out rates, drawing on the two consultations that we undertook last year.
rose—
You are part of Banbury, are you?
The hon. Member for Banbury (Sean Woodcock) referred to the wider Cherwell district council area.
How far away is that?
Mine is the neighbouring constituency, and many of my residents are placed in social housing in Banbury town.
Okay, that will do as a link.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I am grateful to my constituency neighbour for raising this important matter. I wonder whether the Minister can reassure my constituents, many of whom are struggling to find social housing and many of whom end up in Banbury, having come from my constituency. Will the social and affordable homes programme pay due attention to the challenges of providing social housing in rural settings, so that those who wish to remain within their communities are able to do so and do not put extra demands on towns such as Banbury?
Our new social and affordable homes programme does provide additional flexibility for certain tenures of housing that are more difficult and costly to provide, including rural housing. I am sure the hon. Gentleman will also welcome the changes in the draft NPPF, which, as I have said, is out for consultation, because they will further strengthen the provision of rural and affordable housing. We want to see much more of it than we are seeing at present.