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Social housing sector to get equal access to new remediation funding of £1bn
The government has announced it will give the social housing sector equal access to remediation funding.
Social housing sector to get equal access to new remediation funding of £1bn #ukhousingThe change was confirmed in the Spending Review document published after the chancellor Rachel Reeves finished speaking in parliament earlier today.
The change will come with £1bn of new investment between 2026-27 and 2029- 30.
The document states: “The funding will accelerate the remediation of social housing, by giving social housing providers equal access to government funding as private building owners.
“This will support providers of social housing to supply more affordable homes, while also improving the living conditions of tenants.”
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The sector has been lobbying for this change for a while as landlord were having to make difficult choices about how they fund the work.
The government promised changes to how building safety work is funded last year after a London landlord revealed that it had to sell off a number of social homes in the prime minister’s constituency to cover remediation costs.
Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association (ISHA) has a medium-rise building near Archway in north London that is divided into two sections, which both require remediation.
The side owned by ISHA in Kinver House is made up of five shared ownership and 26 social rent homes. The other side is privately owned.
Ruth Davison, the boss of ISHA, said at the time this illustrates the “unjustness” of the current funding system as social housing tenants are unable to access the Building Safety Fund, and they share a building with private occupiers who will be fully funded.
An update was also expected on the government’s Remediation Action Plan, but Alex Norris, building safety minister, confirmed yesterday that this will no be "in the summer".
It is not clear from the document if the change will apply to those buildings under 11 metres, but more details are expected soon.
The concern about low-rise blocks comes after Inside Housing revealed today how the housing minister is one of several Labour cabinet members whose constituencies have under 11 metre blocks with fire safety issues that are leaving flatowners frustrated with the government’s case-by-case audit approach.
Research shared with Inside Housing by the non-qualifying leaseholders group of the End Our Cladding Scandal (EOCS) campaign has identified a number of cases that are either stuck in the audit process, or without funding after the process was completed.
In some cases, risk assessors have refused to engage with the government audit, while responsibility for the work is often being passed between managing agents, developers and housing associations or freeholders.
The issue is leaving flatowners with thousands of pounds worth of bills, sky-high insurance costs and in a position where their homes are difficult to sell, or where they are unable to staircase to full ownership of the property.
You can read all of the sector’s responses to the Spending Review here.
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