Sandwell Council named and shamed for failing to build enough houses

The Black Country authority has only built 61 per cent of the homes the borough needs, meaning it now faces sanctions from the government.

Councils across the country had been set a target of 95 per cent, which Sandwell has missed comprehensively. The only other councils across the wider West Midlands to miss the target was Herefordshire, Staffordshire Moorlands, Tamworth and Bromsgrove.

As a punishment for failing to reach the target, Sandwell Council will have to add an extra 20 per cent of homes to its five-year land supply – a plan which sets out where homes will be built across the borough.

The National Federation of Builders said Sandwell was "failing to tackle the housing crisis", warning the issue could get worse when HS2 is built.

Midlands chair Catherine Windibank said: “HS2 will further increase housing demand in the region and therefore councils must get many more houses built before they find themselves unable to cope with increased need. Some areas are doing that but others are underestimating the investment pouring into the wider region.”

The council has said it is "serious" about building new homes in Sandwell, adding it was one of the best in the country for building new council homes.

Opportunity

Councillor Kerrie Carmichael, the authority's cabinet member for housing, said: “We are serious about increasing the number of new homes in Sandwell and are working on a range of innovative projects to take up every opportunity to do this.

“We are one of the top local authorities nationwide for building new council homes – we’ve already built 194 which are now occupied, with a further 440 on the way. On top of these 634 homes, we’re looking at more sites coming forward for new council homes.

“This is an excellent record on building council homes and is the envy of many other local authorities.

“We need homes across the housing sector – private, housing association and council – that are high quality, affordable and meet people’s needs.

“There is a complex of range of challenges for housebuilders, local authorities and other partners to overcome to deliver the number of homes that are needed.

“The council has a dedicated development team working with landowners, developers and agents to take forward development projects from their initial conception until they have obtained planning permission.

“We are working through the West Midlands Combined Authority and Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership to access funding and identify, acquire and prepare sites, including old industrial land. The aim is to provide a pipeline of sites for development, both for new homes and businesses.

“Our work has also included securing £2m through the Growth Point Fund to help bring forward sites for many new homes and helping housing partners to secure funding from the former Homes and Communities Agency to deliver extra homes.”