We must stay the course and continue the push for more social rent homes

Ministers and frameworks change, and communities and the sector are just expected to adapt each time. However, we know homes are not built at the speed of politics. A nationwide social homes programme will take planning, investment and co-ordination in the long term.

So why does this matter after a huge local election upset for Labour, a weakened economy and continuous conflict in the Middle East? It matters because there is never a bad time to end homelessness, and housing policy too often lurches between competing ideas and changing priorities.

“Councils need their crushing Housing Revenue Account debt cancelled, as it is one of the main challenges holding them back from a council building revolution”

The need for continuous commitment is becoming harder to ignore. Waiting lists and private rents remain high, and more families are being placed into temporary accommodation for long periods of time. Working people are struggling to find homes they can genuinely afford. For younger generations, owning a home is only a dream. 

The focus on delivering social homes cannot disappear with the next election or cabinet reshuffle. Here are some of the proposals by the Manchester Social Housing Commission for central government:

• Set a national target of 90,000 social rent homes per year for 10 years and commit to investing more in achieving it. While the Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026-2036 sets the stage, other funding schemes are needed to get the job done.

  We also know building is expensive for smaller developers, and supply chains are not where they need to be. The labour force needs to be drastically upskilled. The government needs to lead and invest to help councils and housing associations deliver social rent in these trying times.

  Additionally, councils need their crushing Housing Revenue Account debt cancelled, as it is one of the main challenges holding them back from a council building revolution. Shelter’s latest briefing is a great primer and reminder of the pains local authorities are faced with.

• Change the National Planning Policy Framework to set a minimum requirement for social rent homes on all large developments and change how local housing need is calculated. These proposals would be a turning point for communities to take back control.

  For example, setting a national minimum requirement for social homes would reduce viability loopholes, and help councils push back against developers who too often have greater resources than them in negotiations. It would also stop developers from playing councils and communities against each other and threatening to build elsewhere. In short, there would be a minimum requirement everywhere.

  We are calling for a 30% minimum requirement in Manchester in all large developments. Setting a national social rent requirement doesn’t stop councils from adopting higher thresholds, it just sets a minimum.

  Lastly, we need tighter calculations around local housing need, with specific measures of the number of social rent homes needed in an area to end homelessness and reduce time in temporary accommodation.

“Councils need more support to use the existing built environment to deliver social rent homes at pace. We shouldn’t limit the delivery to new builds”

• Support local authorities to put public interest at the heart of land acquisition, at a fair price. The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 put public interest at the heart of compulsory purchase decisions. It helped councils get ‘hope value’ removed and acquire land at a fair price, if they used compulsory purchase orders to build affordable housing, health and educational facilities.
  

  The key point here is that, as far as we know, no council has used this power due to fears of legal challenges and lawsuits from large landowners. Since this was enacted, and through research commissioned by the consultancy Arup, many of us have been calling for national government to back local authorities with liability insurance, legal advice and planning expertise. 

  There should be a requirement for combined authorities to set up regional land commissions, like the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to bring public landowners together to deliver social homes.

• Councils need more support to use the existing built environment to deliver social rent homes at pace. We shouldn’t limit the delivery to new builds.

  Building new quality social homes, as part of a robust delivery strategy, also includes using the existing built environment to deliver social rent – for example, the acquisition of long-term empty homes for permanent social rent and not temporary accommodation.

  Local authorities need earmarked funding and powers to get empty homes in their communities back into use. This should be done in partnership with housing associations and community land trusts. 

England’s housing crisis will not be solved by another short-lived policy reset. If this government is serious about tackling the pressure facing communities and councils, then delivering social homes must remain a long-term national priority – not just for this parliament, but for the governments still to come.

Venus Galarza, commissioner, Manchester Social Housing Commission