Horsham Lib Dems welcome agreement on Social Housing motion

The Liberal Democrat group on Horsham District Council welcome agreement at Wednesday’s Full Council meeting to explore a minimum level of social rent homes built under the new Local Plan. 


The Lib Dem group moved a motion to specify a minimum level of social rented accommodation within the affordable housing provided in new developments. The motion specified a 35 per cent minimum requirement. 

Following an amendment, the full council unanimously agreed to commission a report to introduce a minimum level of social rent policy in the incoming local plan.

By introducing this policy, homes will become available for those who need them most, while tackling overall affordability, reducing future housing targets. 

In proposing the Motion, Cllr John Milne (Roffey North) highlighted the chronic shortage of

social housing and a collapse in supply. ‘The UK’s leading housing charity, Shelter, argues we

should be building 150,000 a year. Last year however we only managed less than 7,000 across the

whole country.’

Cllr Ruth Fletcher (Denne) pointed out that:

The draft Local Plan says it will support and encourage a proportion of social rented homes…but it has no targets or policy to help us get hold of the scarce funding to deliver even a single social rented home.’