Families in urgent need of housing are set to receive assistance through increased powers granted to regional mayors to ensure appropriate housing solutions are developed in their respective areas.
For the first time, regional mayors will have enhanced authority to advise housebuilders on the required types of housing such as homes for the elderly, high-rise apartments, or council dwellings in their communities.
Today, mayors from six regions have been provided with proposed expenditure allocations from the Government’s substantial £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
This initiative will enable mayors, in collaboration with Homes England, to formulate crucial housing strategies tailored to their regions. These plans will serve as guidance for housing providers when preparing official funding proposals in February.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed recently gathered social and affordable housing providers to urge them to submit ambitious funding bids under the program.
Speaking to the Mirror, Reed emphasized the necessity to address housing shortages by significantly increasing the construction of social homes and removing obstacles hindering this progress.
He stressed the importance of empowering local authorities, including mayors and councils, by entrusting them with the decision-making power on the types of homes to be constructed, given their deep understanding of local needs.
According to the proposed budget allocations, Greater Manchester is expected to receive the highest funding amount at £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. Liverpool City Region and South Yorkshire are each earmarked to receive £700 million.
These figures are preliminary to enable mayors to initiate planning activities in advance, with the possibility of increased funding in their regions through official bids.
While indicative spending allocations have been disclosed for the most established authorities, funds will be distributed nationwide. London has already been allocated £11.7 billion over a decade.
Sarah Elliott, CEO of Shelter, highlighted the challenges faced by families due to unaffordable private rents and the scarcity of genuinely affordable social housing. She called for government action to set ambitious targets for social housing delivery, aiming to reach 90,000 units annually for a decade to effectively combat homelessness.
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