Barnet renters could save £199 a month if housing targets met
A Centre for British Progress analysis says meeting national housebuilding goals would cut rents across the capital, giving Barnet households a monthly saving of £199 by year five.
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The Centre for British Progress (CBP) released a study that puts a concrete number on potential rent relief for Barnet. It says a typical household could pay £199 less each month by the fifth year if the UK meets its housing‑building targets. The estimate applies to a standard two‑bedroom flat, the most common rental unit in the borough.
How the savings are calculated
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CBP’s model assumes the capital’s housing stock will grow by 2.3 per cent every year when the government’s target of 88,000 new homes in London is met. Over a five‑year horizon that extra supply would push rents down by 9.7 per cent compared with a scenario where building slows. The researchers translated that percentage into a cash figure for each borough, arriving at £199 for Barnet.
“London’s rents are far too high, because our Mayors have failed to build enough homes for the last 25 years.”
Rob Blackie, co‑author, Centre for British Progress
Rob Blackie, who co‑authored the report and is seeking the Liberal Democrat nomination for the 2028 London mayoral election, argued that the shortage of new homes has driven rent inflation. He added that increasing supply would bring down rents by “hundreds of pounds a month”.
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Impact on temporary accommodation
The study also looks at the knock‑on effect of more homes on homelessness. It estimates that if only a tenth of the new builds were allocated to social housing, the number of London households living in temporary accommodation could drop by as much as 59 per cent. That reduction would translate into roughly £435 million of annual savings for local authorities.
What residents can do now
Barnet residents who want to see the projected savings become reality should monitor the council’s housing strategy and attend local planning meetings. Engaging with the borough’s housing committee can help ensure that any new developments include affordable units. While the national target remains uncertain, local pressure may shape how many of the promised homes are built in the area.
The next formal step is the government’s upcoming review of the national housebuilding programme, due later this year. Barnet Council will receive the outcomes and decide how to align its own housing plan with any revised targets.
Questions this report answers
+How much could a typical Barnet renter save each month if the housing targets are met?
The Centre for British Progress report puts the figure at £199 per month for a standard two‑bedroom flat in Barnet. The saving would appear by the fifth year of the programme, assuming the national housebuilding targets are achieved.
+What increase in housing stock does the report predict for London each year?
The analysis forecasts a 2.3 per cent rise in the capital’s housing stock every year if the government reaches its pledged construction levels. That additional supply is the driver behind the projected rent reductions.
+How many London households in temporary accommodation could be reduced according to the analysis?
CBP estimates that temporary accommodation could fall by up to 59 per cent across London if the new homes are built, even when only ten per cent are allocated to social housing. The drop would save local authorities about £435 million annually.
+Which government pledge underpins the report’s assumptions?
The study relies on the government’s commitment to deliver 88,000 new homes in London each year, part of a broader pledge to build 1.5 million homes across England between July 2024 and the next general election.
Barnet Press News Desk
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