Housing leaders in the North West have welcomed the Chancellor’s £2 billion funding boost for 18,000 new homes in England ahead of her Spring Statement on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) says the cash will “unlock development and opportunity” on construction-ready sites in cities including Manchester and Liverpool.
The Government wants to see 1.5m new homes built in the 海角视频 over the next five years, with a particular focus on affordable housing. Ministers say they expect at least half of the 18,000 will be social homes, while charities have asked that the “vast majority” should be for social rent to help tackle the country’s homelessness crisis.
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The Chancellor announced her plans on a visit to an affordable housing development in Stoke-on-Trent ahead of Wednesday's key speech. She said: “We are fixing the housing crisis in this country with the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.
“Today’s announcement will help drive growth through our Plan for Change by delivering up to 18,000 new homes, as well as jobs and opportunities, getting more money into working people’s pockets.”
Paul Dolan, chief executive of Liverpool-based social housing provider Riverside, said: “This additional £2bn of top-up funding for the Affordable Homes Programme is excellent news and a strong indication of the government’s intention to deliver the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation.
“The over subscription of the previous £850m top up funding underlines the strong demand from registered providers and housebuilders to deliver more affordable homes. Today’s announcement demonstrates that we have a Government that is continuing to listen to the market and will provide more funding when it is needed.
“While we welcome this additional money, it is even more important for the sector in supporting the government’s ambitious housing strategy, to receive significant, long-term sustainable funding when details of the new Affordable Homes Programme are released as part of the Spending Review in June.”
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Patrick Hickey, director at the development management consultancy, Make NW, and former head of development at the housing association, Arcon, said: “At a time when councils across England have to meet stretching new housing targets every year for the next four years this additional funding will be very welcome.
“Some councils in the North West have seen their annual housing target more than double.
“With councils spending more than £2.3bn a year on the cost of temporary accommodation we know how important this funding is as we are working with councils to deliver more affordable homes and new, council-led temporary accommodation so they can improve the quality and reduce the cost of temporary housing.
"While this additional funding is desperately needed the government now needs to focus on sustainable long-term funding for the Affordable Homes Programme in the spending review so they can make good on their promise to deliver the largest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation."
Matt Downie, chief executive of housing and homelessness charity Crisis, said Tuesday’s news was “hugely welcome” and hopefully “signals the beginning of a social housebuilding programme that will radically shift this country’s response to homelessness, putting housing at the heart of the solution”.
Shelter chief executive, Polly Neate, said: “This is the Government’s moment to prove it is serious about tackling the housing emergency. Without a major funding commitment to 90,000 social homes a year for ten years, homelessness will keep spiralling, and millions will remain trapped in unstable, overpriced housing.”
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