- Families stuck without a secure home are set to benefit from the first wave of funding from the government’s £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme
- Councils have been backed to build more homes as ministers drive the biggest council housebuilding revival in decades
- More decisions over housing investment will move closer to local communities
- 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.
Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has welcomed today’s announcement from The Prime Minister and Secretary of State, Angela Rayner, that nearly £10 Billion will be allocated towards the building of 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 to deliver homes at scale.
This includes a number of organisations operating within Portsmouth:
- Abri Group
- Sanctuary Housing Association
- Vivid Housing
- Hyde Housing Association
The announcement 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.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“This announcement is a major step forwards for ensuring that all families across the UK have access to the safe and secure homes they need.
“Families in Portsmouth cannot 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.
“This Labour Government is 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.”
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.”
Over £2 billion of the 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.
This 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.
Housing associations and other providers will continue to play a vital role in delivering the social and affordable homes the country needs.
Alongside councils, they will be central to delivering the Government’s ambition to increase housebuilding and expand access to genuinely affordable homes
The package builds on the government’s commitment to deliver 1.5 million homes this Parliament, including the biggest boost to council, social and affordable housing in a generation.
