Housing corporations built no new property in 34 of the Netherlands’ 342 local council areas between 2020 and 2023, despite government commitments to increasing the supply of affordable housing, Trouw reported on Tuesday.

The government has pledged to ensure 100,000 new homes are built in the Netherlands every year, of which 30% should be rent-controlled property, with a rent of no more than €880. Housing corporations are largely responsible for social housing in the Netherlands.

In total, two-thirds of all new housing should be classified as “affordable”, which includes mid-market and cheaper owner-occupier properties as well as social housing.

But figures from national statistics agency CBS show that just 51 councils met the 30% target and the rest were lower, often much lower, Trouw said.

In 108 council areas, housing corporations built just 10% or less of the new homes and in 34 they built none at all, even though they added a combined 8,310 units to their housing stock.

The legislation that will enshrine the percentages in law, and will speed up building procedures, has not yet gone through parliament.

Housing minister Mona Keijzer is holding a summit involving the private and public housing sectors on December 11 in an effort to kick-start the building process and the 30% plan is in the spotlight.

Martin van Rijn, chairman of the housing corporation association Aedes, is opposed to any measures to ditch the 30%, pointing to the long waiting lists for a rent-controlled home.

This, Van Rijn says, means that enough housing must be built for people on low incomes or who are starting out on the housing ladder. And at the same time, he said, councils must allocate more land, at cheaper rates, for social housing construction by the public and private sectors.