In a recent speech committing to more British affordable housing, Prime Minister Theresa May was quick to find culprits everywhere, but not so much on her own doorstep. The government’s responsibility would seem to be restricted to tweaking the rules in order to stay one step ahead of a never-ending succession of ingenious schemes by the private sector for profiteering on the backs of affordable housing projects, particularly those involving land banking.
For those unfamiliar with the term ‘Land Banking’, read more in the Guardian: Britain has enough land to solve the housing crisis – it’s just being hoarded
For some, however, private enterprise is the culprit in the development of affordable housing. Because the entire purpose of private business is to make profit, their unabashed role is to carve a chunk of meat from any and every project they can put their hands on, whether housing development or land transaction.
Change the players, not just the laws, is the theme of this related article in CityMetric: The housing crisis can’t be solved by tinkering with planning laws. We need more social housing
