Ministers should review the national planning system to reverse the years-long failure to meet housing demand, the UK government spending watchdog said in a scathing report that also criticised local authorities and property developers.
The National Audit Office said the method developed in 2017 by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government for local authorities to assess the number of new homes needed in their areas had “weaknesses”.
It sets targets based on household projections but limits local authorities’ flexibility to be able to reflect local circumstances, the watchdog said in its Planning for New Homes report.
