The current government planning system for 300’000 homes is ‘not working well’ according to the National Audit Office (NAO).

They have laid out a series of concerns regarding the government’s goals, including the “flawed” method to assess the number of homes needed.

The NAO report said: “The government’s planning system is under-performing and cannot demonstrate that it is meeting housing demand effectively.

Despite the Government’s plans for 300,000 new homes a year by the middle of the next decade, the NAO noted that on average only 177,000 had been built annually between 2005 and 2018 and the number has never exceeded 224,000.

The NAO pointed out that by last December, only 44% of local authorities had an up-to-date blueprint for meeting future housing needs, despite it being a legal requirement.

Kent council has been seen as failing to meet construction targets. This time in 2018, Five of the area’s 13 local authorities saw a drop in homes coming on the market than a year ago, data published by Kent County Council has found. Ashford, Dover, Gravesham, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge and Malling councils all failed to complete as many in 2016/17 than they managed in 2015/16, according to net figures.