The final public statement by the outgoing chief executive of campaigning charity Shelter has branded private rent levels as “extortionate”.

However, Polly Neate put much of the blame not on landlords but on successive governments for failing to build enough social housing.

Neate was making a statement over the weekend  in response to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement, delivered last week.

Neate – who left the charity on Friday, having tweeted “Boy have I had fun” – says in the statement: “Growth won’t mean anything to ordinary people unless it’s shared, and right now record numbers are homeless, billions are being sunk into temporary accommodation, and welfare cuts will push more people into homelessness. 

“The £2 billion announcement for social and affordable housing is a positive step, but to achieve the Chancellor’s ‘serious plan for growth’, we need significantly more investment in social rent homes to give families a secure foundation.

“Decades of failure to build enough social homes has pushed private rents to extortionate levels, while incomes can’t keep up. More and more renters are falling into debt, priced out of their communities or left at risk of losing their homes. Over 164,000 children are stuck in shoddy temporary accommodation for months, even years, because there’s nowhere to move on to.

“There are no shortcuts out of the housing emergency – the government must invest in 90,000 social homes a year in the Spending Review in June. Not only is this the only way for the government to meet its target of 1.5 million homes, it would end homelessness, and add over £50 billion to the economy through boosting jobs and savings for the NHS and benefits bill.”