Families facing housing challenges are set to receive support through increased authority granted to regional mayors to ensure appropriate housing solutions are developed in their communities.
Under a groundbreaking £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, mayors in six regions have been presented with suggested budgets to facilitate crucial housing planning in their areas. This initiative, in collaboration with Homes England, will assist in guiding housing providers in preparing funding bids to be submitted in February.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed recently rallied social and affordable housing providers to submit ambitious proposals for funding. In a statement to the Mirror, Reed emphasized the urgency of addressing housing shortages and homelessness, calling for a significant increase in social housing construction.
The proposed spending allocations reveal that Greater Manchester is expected to receive the highest budget of £1.8 billion, followed by the West Midlands at £1.6 billion, the North East at £1.1 billion, and West Yorkshire at £1 billion. South Yorkshire would each be allocated £700 million.
These preliminary figures are intended to enable mayors to commence planning processes early, with the possibility of additional funding being directed to their regions through official bids. While indicative budgets have only been disclosed for the most established authorities, the overall funding will be distributed nationwide, with London already earmarked to receive £11.7 billion over a ten-year period.
Sarah Elliott, CEO of Shelter, praised the investment initiative but urged the government to set clear targets for social rent home delivery to address the housing crisis comprehensively. She emphasized the importance of private developers contributing to social housing construction to meet the demand, aiming for an annual delivery target of up to 90,000 social homes over the next decade to effectively combat homelessness.