Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to introduce an affordable homes target for rural England into Homes England’s objectives.

Homes England’s Strategic Business Plan sets out their mission, objectives and public facing key performance indicators (KPIs). Homes England’s objectives already include supporting more affordable housing and providing expert support to priority locations. Through this commitment to support priority locations, government funding is directed to address affordability where it poses the greatest problem for the country so homes can be built where they are most needed.

It is the responsibility of local authorities to plan to reflect local needs, particularly for affordable housing, including through rural exception sites. Homes England has dedicated rural housing champions in each of their operating areas and they remain active across the rural housing sector to ensure that the profile of affordable rural housing remains high.