Metro mayors allocated £7bn from affordable homes programme as new bid opening date revealed

These plans are expected to be published alongside Homes England’s national prospectus for the SAHP, which is set to be unveiled tomorrow (7 November).

The door to bidding will “officially” open in February, which is later than the end of year timescale set out by then interim Homes England chief executive Eamonn Boylan in June.

Housing secretary Steve Reed urged social landlords to be “as ambitious as possible” in their bids for new grants. 

Mr Reed said: “Families have been trapped in so-called temporary accommodation for years or stuck on council waiting lists with no hope of a secure home.   

“We’re changing that for good, with the biggest boost to social housebuilding in a generation, getting behind mayors who are ready to build affordable housing across their regions.”

The allocations include £1.8bn for Greater Manchester, £1.7bn for the West Midlands, £1.1bn for the North East and £1bn for West Yorkshire. Liverpool City Region and South Yorkshire were both allocated £700m.

The government also announced an additional £150m, awarded directly to mayoral strategic authorities, to transform derelict brownfield sites into over 4,000 new homes.

To help councils build, the government is also opening a new route allowing councils to bid into the SAHP, as well as allowing councils to combine Right to Buy receipts from sales with grant funding from next year.  

Homes England chief executive Amy Rees, who took over from Mr Boylan in September, 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.”

The new SAHP programme is expected to deliver at least 60% social rent homes, creating around 180,000 across England. Up to 30% of the funding – £11.7bn over the 10 years – will be used to support housing delivery from the Greater London Authority, with the rest allocated by Homes England.

Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “This marks the single biggest earmarked investment in housing our region has ever seen – and the largest pot of funding we’ve ever seen for social and affordable homes. It’s a massive vote of confidence from the government in our region’s ability to deliver.”

Tracy Brabin, mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “With council house waiting lists and private rents at breaking point, addressing the housing crisis is the most fundamental step our government could take to build a brighter Britain.

“By increasing the amount of affordable homes funding and aligning it with regional priorities, this government is empowering mayors to accelerate the delivery of affordable homes across the country. This is a welcome first step towards the full devolution of affordable homes funding.”