LONDON, Nov. 6 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:

* Mayors setting housing agenda to build more social and affordable homes for the first time, backed by £7 billion funding from historic decade-long programme * Sweeping measures to strip away barriers for councils to build at scale, helping more families escape temporary accommodation and agonising waiting lists * Alongside £150 million packageto giveMayors the tools to transform neglected brownfieldlandinto high-quality homes,jobs,and green spaces

Mayorsoutside of Londonwill be given greater influenceover 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.

Through the government'shistoric£39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, Mayors will now be able to prioritise indicative spendingof£7 billion, split across six regions, for the first time that will provide secure, affordable housing faster for families priced out of home ownership.

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 theNorth Eastwhere Mayors areraringto 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 madehis 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 inso-calledtemporary accommodationfor yearsor stuck oncouncilwaiting lists with no hope of a secure home.

"We're changing that for goodwith the biggest boost to social housebuilding in a generationand getting behindmayorswhoare ready to build affordable housing across their regions.

"We'realsobacking councils to build again and transform derelict sites into thriving neighbourhoods,urgingthemto go big, go bold and go build."

For the first time Mayors,working jointly with Homes England, will shapethe course of action for new affordable housingmoneyin their regions, setting outambitious plans for the types of homes that get built,sitesprioritised for constructionand how many suitable bids for grant funding could come forward in each area.

As part of these plans housing providers willbe requiredtodemonstratehow their bids align with local priorities, accelerating delivery of homes that genuinely meet local needs, ranging from specialist housing for older people to community-led projects.

The Housing Secretary and Housing Minister are calling on the sector to be as ambitious as possible in their bids for newgrantfunding, with the door to bidding officially opening in February, working hand in glovetomaximiseuse ofthe record investment.

The new programme forms a cornerstone of the government's Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament, putting social and affordable housing at the heart of delivery.

To further ramp up housebuilding, thegovernment isremovingbarriers preventing councils building at scale. This includesa new route to bid into the Social and Affordable Homes Programmeas well asallowingcouncilsto combineRightto Buy receiptsfrom saleswith grant funding fromnext year.

The government will also shortly beinformingcouncils of theirinitialoffer under the latest round of the Local Authority Housing Fund and providing guidance on howthey canapply for funding.The £950 million-the largest investment in the fund to date -willincreasethe supply of good-quality temporary accommodation for homeless families and drivingdown the use of costly B&Bs.

Laser focused on regional Mayorsgettingmorespades in the ground, thegovernment is also injecting £150 million to transform derelict brownfield sites into over 4,000 new homes. Awardeddirectly tomayoralstrategic authorities, the money willunlock left-behind sitesand create jobs, paving the way for more local families and working people to step onto the housing ladder.

Homes England Chief Executive Amy Rees CB said:

"The importance of this funding cannot be underestimated in opening the door to thousands of new, affordable homes for communities across the country - and we will do everything in our power to ensure every penny of grant allocation helps deliver the right homes in the right places, at pace, for the people who need them.

"Our team is incredibly proud and driven to help create a new generation of affordable and social rent homes, working alongside local leaders who know their communities best, and providers who have the expertise and commitment to deliver with our support."

Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, Kate Henderson said:

"Today's announcements send a clear signal that social and affordable housingremainsa pillar of the government's housebuilding ambitions.

"While the housing crisis touches all parts of the country, different areas havedifferent needs. These plans will empower mayors to work alongside housing associations to meet the specific housing requirements of their local communities - be that family-sized homes, or homes for older people.

"With a record 170,000 children now homeless and living in damaging temporary accommodation, delivering on a decade of renewal for social housing has never been more important. Housing associations are already ramping up their plans for housebuilding and are committed to working in partnership with the government to deliver the homes our country needs."

Peabody CEO and Chair of the G15, Ian McDermott said:

"It'sgreat to see the government backing Mayors to help build more social and affordable homes. This will help regional leaders to support communities and drive local growth through social and affordable housebuilding, andwe'reready to play our part.

As not-for-profit social landlords, we work alongside mayors and councils to regenerate places and provide more and better social homes across the country. We warmly welcome the government's ambition and commitment and will continue to do all we can to help deliver a decade of growth and renewal for social housing."

Further information

The Social and Affordable Homes Programme is a 10-year programme (2026-2036) wortha record£39 billioninvestment, delivered through Homes England (outside London) and the Greater London Authority (in London).

Today confirms how the programme will be delivered in practice, with delivery partner prospectusesbeing publisheddetailing howsocial housingproviders can access funding, the expectations placed on them, and the flexibilities built into the programme to support an ambitious pipeline of new homes.

Bidding guidance will be published by Homes Englandand the Greater London Authorityahead of bidding opening in February 2026.

The programme will deliveraround300,000 affordable homes, with at least 60% asSocialRent homes.This forms part of the government's five step plan to deliver a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing.

Indicativespend for Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities, subject to suitable bidsinclude:

* Greater Manchester: £1.8 billion * West Midlands: £1.7 billion * North East: £1.1 billion * West Yorkshire: £1 billion * Liverpool City Region: £700 million * South Yorkshire: £700 million

Homes England's new portfolio route will help councils to bid for grant funding at an earlier stage in the pre-development process and across several sites at once, thereby encouraging larger, more ambitious housing projects in the pipeline.

29 councilshavereceived £5.5millionto unlockup to7,000 new council homesthrough the Council Housebuilding Support Fund,as part of the£14 million Council Housebuilding Skills and Capacity Programme in 2025-26.

New flexibility allows councils to combine Right to Buy receipts with grant funding from 2026-27. Theoptionto mix receipts with grant willallowcouncilsto be more ambitious in theirbids to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, ensuring thattheycan build as many homes as possible.

£150 million brownfield fundingannounced todaybuilds on theprevious£600 million Brownfield Housing Fund, which hasalreadyunlocked 22,000 home starts.

Brownfield Housing Fund 2025/26 settlement:

MCA BHF Allocation (£)

West Midlands £ 26,114,324

Greater Manchester £ 25,831,336

West Yorkshire £ 21,043,998

East Midlands £ 19,725,709

North East £ 17,629,948

Liverpool City Region £ 13,895,370

South Yorkshire £ 12,326,576

York and North Yorkshire £ 7,309,794

Tees Valley £ 6,122,946

Total £ 150,000,000

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.