Javid takes aim at baby boomers over homes shortage

BABY BOOMERS who have paid off their own mortgages should not be allowed to get in the way of the construction of homes for a younger generation “crying out for help with housing”, says Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.

He was speaking yesterday as official Government figures showed 217,350 new homes were added to the English housing stock in 2016/17 – 27,700 up on the previous year and the highest since the crash of 2007/08.

The figure was hailed by Downing Street as a sign of progress, but Theresa May’s official spokesman said the PM acknowledged there was still “a huge amount to do”.

Shelter, which estimates 250,000 new homes are needed each year to tackle the crisis, said the numbers still fall “woefully short” of what is required, adding that not even a fifth of the new properties were affordable.

Mr Javid said the shortage of affordable property risked creating a “rootless generation”, but he rejected the resistance to development from baby boomers who claim housing problems were caused by an “over-entitled” millennial generation spending cash rather than saving for a home.

The figures came as the Government announced that housing association debt was being taken off the balance sheet, in a change Mr Javid believes will give a stable investment environment to fund new homes.

The Communities Secretary, in a speech in Bristol, also revealed he has written to 15 local authorities – including Calderdale and York – which have now been served with notices of intervention over their development of the Local Plan.

These authorities showed “particular cause for concern” having missed deadlines and progress, he said, warning the Government was ready to step in.

Councils have now been given until the end of January to outline measures they intend to take to speed up the process.

Both Yorkshire authorities insist they are making good progress.