Social housing to see £7 billion boost as mayors urged to ‘go bold’ with plans

Mayors outside of London are being urged to set out ambitious social housing plans which will be backed by £7 billion in funding.

Local leaders will be able to specify the types of homes needed in their areas and which sites to prioritise for construction as part of their funding bids.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed urged councils to “go big, go bold and go build”.

The investment is part of the Government’s previously announced 10-year affordable housing programme, which totals £39 billion.

Under the plans, Greater Manchester is expected to receive £1.8 billion, West Midlands £1.7 billion, the North East £1.1 billion, West Yorkshire £1 billion, and both Liverpool City and South Yorkshire likely to see a £700 million boost.

The announcement comes after concerns over affordable housing targets and the Government’s ability to meet its 1.5 million new homes target were raised by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee last month.

A committee report said the delay in publishing a long-term housing strategy “left industry in the dark, without a clear sense of the trajectory of housing supply, and without an overarching plan as to how such an ambitious target will be achieved”.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the funding aims to reduce the number of families stuck on social housing waiting lists, with 180,000 social rent homes expected to be built in England.

A £150 million package has also been allocated to mayors to fund the development of brownfield sites, with the aim of building more than 4,000 new homes.

Mr Reed said: “Families have been trapped in so-called temporary accommodation for years or stuck on council waiting lists with no hope of a secure home.

“We’re changing that for good with the biggest boost to social housebuilding in a generation and getting behind mayors who are ready to build affordable housing across their regions.

“We’re also backing councils to build again and transform derelict sites into thriving neighbourhoods, urging them to go big, go bold and go build.”

Bids for funding will open from February.

Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said: “Labour are refusing to say when the money to actually build the homes will be made available – and how much of it, if any, will be up for grabs before the next election.

“This all smacks of another Labour promise without any plan for delivery, with the Government fiddling the figures to conceal the facts.

“Labour must come clean about exactly what funding councils will get and when. Otherwise, it will be impossible to take this programme seriously.”