The government has announced funding for more than 70,000 new social and affordable homes, with funding allocated over six key regions. Forming part of the wider 10-year plan for the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made his position on housing clear in his first few weeks in power – but is clarity enough to allow the industry to move to action?
The allocation comes after Andy Burnham recently discussed intentions to allocate the funds fully to social housing, a plan that has yet to be implemented but is still in the Prime Ministers sights for further funding. 60% of the 70,000 homes funded through the first SAHP wave are marked for social housing, with housing minister Matthew Pennycook telling BBC breakfast that the next wave of funding will be more focused on council housing. According to the BBC, it is understood that the decision to give less funding to councils in the first wave of funding was due to doubts over councils currently capacity to deliver the homes needed.
Burnham has positioned housing as central to the aims of his government, citing ending rough sleeping as the first pledge of his tenure as Prime Minister. He also promised to lead the biggest council housebuilding boom since the post-war era, backing social housing as the most efficient path towards turning back the UK’s housing crisis.
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Richard Greenwood is the director of operations for EN:Procure, the procurement arm of social hosing consortium Efficiency North, which operates across the North of England. He is tentatively hopeful following the announcement and said: “I am frustrated by the lack of announcement within the announcement, however the details of the grants to the individual strategic partners give a clearer picture that the starting gun might have eventually been fired for the new build affordable homes programme that the government promised some time ago.
“I welcome the commitment of targeted funding at this scale as it demonstrates recognition that regional housing providers, local authorities and combined authorities have a critical role to play in addressing the housing shortage and creating long-term social and economic benefits for local communities. With tens of thousands of homes needed per year per region to meet growing demands, we have to shift the power to those who know their regions best if we’re going to deliver for residents.
“The focus now needs to be on delivery – which is the thought echoed across the housing sector for some time. Strategic funding allocations are an important first step, but the real measure of success will be the number of high-quality, affordable homes that are completed and occupied over the next few years.
“Key to delivery will be the strength of regional partnerships between procurement, housing associations, local authorities, contractors and developers, which we know already exist and have seen first-hand the strength of these partnerships across the North and Midlands. This funding really does have the potential to accelerate affordable housing delivery and create lasting benefits for communities throughout the regions, but as always we have to move from funding to action.”
