News / Politics
Bristol records highest rent rises in UK
Bristol recorded the joint highest increase in average rent in the entire UK last year, adding to the already chronic housing crisis.
The city saw an 18 per cent jump, alongside Brighton, with the average rent on new tenancies up from £767 in 2014 to £904 last year.
The figures were published on Tuesday and were followed by a promise by Labour’s candidate for the mayoral elections to build more affordable homes in the city to help alleviate demand.
“This week we heard that private rents in Bristol have soared in cost by 18 per cent compared to a national average of 4.9 per cent,” Marvin Rees said.
“We also have empty buildings and a serious problem with not enough houses being built. If elected, I shall make it a priority to build more affordable homes, free up land for development, protect private renters and encourage self-build.”
Labour’s shadow minister for housing John Healey, who joined Rees in a visit to Lockleaze on Thursday, said current mayor George Ferguson had “failed” with building affordable homes.
Ferguson said the housing crisis was a result of the economic success of the city, adding that he believed Bristol was building more homes than any other core city, many of which are controlled by Labour councils.
“We have brought hundreds of empty properties back into use and are providing housing for an increasing number of homeless resulting from severe welfare cuts.
“I am determined to crack this nut which is why I have set up a housing delivery board, however, we must be realistic and recognise we have the same constraints that every core city faces and I believe we are building more new homes of all categories in Bristol than in any other,” he said.
The first new council houses in four years were completed last month as part of 100 which are planned over the next two years. They are being payed for through the council’s limited revenue generated from rent of council-owned social housing, following changes to Government legislation which has allowed councils to retain council rents instead of sending them to Whitehall.
Ferguson originally said it was his ambition for the city to build 1,000 affordable homes by 2016. But a year into his first term he admitted the target would not be reached.
Councillors recently gave their support to a new five-year housing strategy, known as More Than a Roof, which address the challenges with increasing the number of new homes.
The mayor recently announced the council would be opening empty buildings to cope with rising homelessness.
Bristol24/7 revealed late last year that just a third of new developments in Bristol were hitting the council’s policy of 30 per cent affordable homes. About 11,000 families are on the council’s waiting list for affordable homes.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
