A MINIMUM of 250,000 new homes must be built every year for the next ten years if a housing crisis is to be avoided, claims the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The RICS has called on the Government to ensure that housing remains a priority alongside health and education, particularly in the South East.

RICS South East director Trevor Hines said: “Poor housing conditions impact hugely on health and education so to sacrifice housing in order to boost health and education would be to shoot ourselves in the foot.

“As we get closer to an election, there is the danger that the focus of the two major political parties is likely to be firmly set on who will spend most on health and education, with the housing debate being the big loser.”

The call from the RICS comes at a time when demographic experts are predicting that over the next decade the UK will be one of the only European Union countries to see a population increase.

Population growth, added to an ageing population and an increase in single households and marital break-ups, will mean that a growing number of households must be accommodated.

Mr Hines said: “Against the background of UK population changes, the RICS believes that the provision of 250,000 new homes each year for ten years is the absolute minimum needed to do little more than stand still.”

Some of the innovative proposals being put forward by the RICS include an increase in the level of government incentive for employers who are willing to provide housing for their workers, as well as encouraging local authorities to maximise the residential potential of unused and under-used commercial and industrial property.

RICS also continues to voice its concern over the massive drop in the level of social and affordable housing, which is one-fifth of what it was 20 years ago.