Sky News has this week published research that reveals the number of social homes being built in rural England has fallen by more than 80 per cent over the last six years

Analysis, carried out in partnership with Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), found that just 1,309 social houses were built in rural areas in 2017-18. The struggle to get on the housing ladder in predominantly rural England is tougher than in urban areas.

Last year, lower house prices were 8.8 times the average lower wage in rural areas, compared with 7.5 times in predominantly urban areas, excluding London.

Jonny Webb from IPPR commented: ‘Across the country, we think that there should be the need for around 100,000 social-rent houses per year.’

The Government says it is focusing efforts on building affordable rent homes rather than social housing. Affordable rent homes tend to be let at 80 per cent of market value, while social housing is rented at a much lower rate, meaning that affordable homes are more profitable for developers. Sky News also found that rough sleeping in rural areas has risen 33 per cent between 2012 and 2018.

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