We persistently hear the UK has a housing crisis. The fact is, the UK has an immigration crisis that’s creating a dreadful housing problem up and down the country. This can be verified by studying the annual figures of net migration into the UK and comparing them with the need for housing.

An in-depth analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF) titled ‘People in housing need’, carried out in 2020, stated the following:
“This is the most comprehensive report to date on the number of people in need of social housing in England, which has now hit 3.8 million people. This equates to 1.6 million households – 500,000 more than the 1.16 million households recorded on official waiting lists”.

The NHF analysis specifically relates to England, so the real housing need across the entire United Kingdom would be far greater than the figures above suggest.

It is also important to remember that the housing crisis is not one crisis but a series of interrelated and overlapping crises. These include affordability, the suitability, size and condition of homes, and the ability of people to find accommodation in the first place. Some people will experience one of these problems – others will experience many at once.

As the NHF data shows, there are well over one million households and literally millions of people in need of social housing. During the last decade, more than 2.8 million immigrants have entered the UK.

Here are the approximate net migration figures for the years 2010 – 2020:

2020 = 313,000

2019 = 270,000

2018 =  232,000

2017 =  249,000

2016 = 252,000

2015 = 329,000

2014 = 309,000

2013 = 209,000

2012 = 161,000

2011 = 249,000

2010 = 256, 000

If you calculate the figures year on year, it is no wonder there is a housing shortage. Interestingly the net figures correlate with the annual housing shortage of about 250,000!

The desperate need for housing is not going to disappear while the UK government allows open borders and limitless immigration. Furthermore, this is having an unsustainable impact on other public services such as schools, the NHS, road traffic and so on and so forth.

Is there a housing crisis, or is there an immigration crisis?