Mayors outside of London will be given greater influence over the government’s multi-billion-pound affordable housing programme, as part of the housing secretary’s drive to accelerate the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, it has just been announced.
The government says through its £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme, mayors will now be able to prioritise indicative spending of £7bn, split across six regions.
Aimed to bring down record numbers of households stuck on social housing waiting lists, the new programme is expected to deliver at least 60% social rent homes – creating around 180,000 across England including Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and the North East where Mayors are raring to go and deliver.
More councils will also build social housing at a scale not seen in years, receiving millions of pounds to draw up plans this year that will unlock thousands of new council homes.
This comes after the housing secretary made his first big intervention in the social and affordable housing space and hosted the industry’s biggest providers at a summit last month, urging key players in the sector to ‘go big, go bold, and go build’.
Housing secretary Steve 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.”
