The government announces its first wave of funding from its £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme. Families trapped in temporary accommodation or stuck on housing waiting lists will be helped into safe, secure homes as the government kickstarts its record £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
On 25 August, the Prime Minister and Secretary of State, Angela Rayner, are announcing nearly £10 billion of allocations to build thousands more quality council, social and affordable homes.
The first wave of funding announced will support the delivery of more than 70,000 homes across England. It will go to 33 Strategic Partners – councils, housing associations and other providers that have secured long-term funding certainty to deliver homes at scale. Today’s announcement also marks a major step in the ambition to getting councils building at scale again.
Alongside housing associations, councils will be awarded Strategic Partner status with Homes England, helping put them firmly back at the heart of housebuilding. Around 60% of homes delivered through these partnerships are expected to be for Social Rent, the most affordable form of rented housing, helping more families access a secure home.
With almost 180,000 children growing up without a permanent home, the government is putting councils at the heart of housebuilding.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: No child should be raised in a hostel room and no family should wait ten years for a front door of their own. I have said from my first day in this job that everything starts with a good home.
Nearly £10 billion will go to councils and housing associations to build genuinely affordable homes, most of them for social rent, in the places where families are waiting longest.
Councils built this country out of a housing crisis once before. Backed properly, and trusted to get on with it, they will do it again.
Secretary of State Angela Rayner said: Families can’t be left raising children without a place to call home, and none of us should spend years waiting for somewhere safe and affordable to live.
I know how important?fixing this is – because I’ve been there. A safe and secure home was the foundation for a better life – I couldn’t have got to where I have today without it.
That’s why the Prime Minister and I are doing everything we can to get councils building once again – it’s fundamental to turning the housing crisis around, helping families out of temporary accommodation and into a secure home.
Over £2 billion of today’s funding is expected to be spent in Mayoral areas outside of London. As part of the government’s wider devolution agenda, Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities are setting the strategic direction for the programme in their areas, helping ensure investment reflects local priorities.
Over time, more funding is expected to flow directly to mayoral authorities as the programme develops, building on the Government’s commitment to move power and decision-making out of Whitehall.
Today’s allocation is only the first stage of the ten-year programme. More than £16 billion remains to be allocated outside London and in allocating this funding, we intend to prioritise Social Rent homes and council housebuilding, helping deliver the largest expansion of council housing in decades.
Amy Rees, Chief Executive Officer at Homes England said: Today’s announcement marks an important step in delivering the government’s £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme. Through these strategic partnerships and continuous market engagement, alongside Homes England’s wider investment including through the National Housing Bank, we can help unlock thousands of much-needed homes across England. By working with councils, mayors, housing associations and local partners, we can support the return of council housebuilding at scale, increase the supply of social rent homes and create thriving places that people are proud to call home.
Today’s package goes further by helping councils access more of the funding available to the programme and make full use of Right to Buy receipts – with £1.61 billion raised from sales alone in the last financial year – and other available funding streams.
To support this ambition, the government is investing a further £46 million over the next three years to strengthen councils’ skills, expertise and capacity to bring forward ambitious housebuilding plans.
London?will receive?a major boost for housebuilding, reflecting the acute need for affordable housing in the capital.
The Greater London Authority intends to offer at least £6 billion through the programme, with councils expected to deliver more than half of the homes funded in London. The capital is already demonstrating what can be achieved when local leaders have greater control over housing investment and delivery.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: Tackling the housing crisis is one of my top priorities and I’m doing everything I can to deliver more affordable homes that Londoners desperately need. We’ve built record numbers of council homes in London, but the number of families and children without a permanent home stuck on housing waiting lists is still unacceptable. I want to work with this new Government to deliver a step change in how many council homes we can deliver across the capital.
Thousands of Londoners will benefit from this new wave of new social and affordable homes, which will help people out of temporary accommodation and provide good, affordable homes to live in for the long-term, as we build a fairer, better London for everyone.
