We need an honest conversation about what it will take to deliver the government’s housing ambitions, writes Rachael Williamson, director of policy, communications and external affairs at the Chartered Institute of Housing
The housing crisis is no longer simply a housing issue. It’s an economic, public services and social justice issue. Rising homelessness, record spending on temporary
accommodation and growing numbers of households unable to access affordable homes are creating pressures that ripple across society.
Encouragingly, the new government has signalled a greater focus on prevention rather than crisis management. Andy Burnham’s first instruction as prime minister was to begin
work to end rough sleeping, alongside a commitment to build a more preventative state that invests in people’s success rather than paying for failure.
That recognition matters. Too often, we spend vast sums managing the consequences of housing failure rather than addressing its root causes. A Housing First approach, which provides people with a stable home as the foundation from which to address wider challenges, reflects this shift in thinking. By prioritising access to secure housing and support, it focuses on preventing crises rather than continually responding to them.
At the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), we believe housing must be recognised as the foundation for life. A safe, secure and affordable home supports good health, educational attainment, employment opportunities and thriving communities. It is a platform for people to build stable and successful lives. If government is serious about driving economic growth and expanding opportunity, housing must be treated as essential social and economic infrastructure.
All hands to the pump
While the private sector will remain an important part of the solution, it won’t deliver the volume of homes needed on its own. Housing associations and local authorities play a key role. Current projections suggest social housing providers could deliver around 70,000 homes annually.
That is a substantial contribution, but it is only around half of what is required if social housing is to make an impact on housing need.
Achieving that level of delivery will require greater investment. The government’s new Social & Affordable Homes Programme marks an important step forward but funding will need to increase if ministers want both more homes and a stronger emphasis on social rent.
Building genuinely affordable homes requires higher levels of grant funding, and without additional investment there is a risk that delivery will remain below what the country needs.
Investing for the long term
Funding alone will not solve the problem. The sector faces significant capacity constraints, including skills shortages, supply chain pressures and stretched planning
departments. Even with additional investment, homes will not be built without the workforce and systems to deliver them.
A long-term plan for housing delivery needs to include investment in apprenticeships, construction skills and Modern Methods of Construction, alongside support for local authority planning and development teams (all of which creates jobs). Just as importantly, the sector needs a stable pipeline of work that gives confidence to invest in
people, expertise and long-term growth.
All homes should be decent homes
Alongside new supply, we must also invest in the homes that already exist. Social landlords are balancing major demands associated with building safety, decarbonisation,
fuel poverty and the implementation of Awaab’s Law. These priorities are vital but often funded through fragmented programmes that create unnecessary complexity.
A new Decent Homes Programme could bring priorities together within a single, long-term funding framework. This would help landlords improve housing quality efficiently while ensuring residents benefit from safer, warner and healthier homes.
Get councils building
Councils also need greater support to build again at scale. Grant funding is important but financial barriers extend beyond development costs. Many councils continue to carry significant debt burdens that limit capacity to invest in new homes. Debt relief linked to commitments on future housebuilding could unlock additional delivery while strengthening local authority finances.
Access to affordable finance also matters. Housing associations have benefited from new opportunities to access low-cost borrowing. Extending similar support to councils would help unlock a new generation of local authority housebuilding.
Key role for regeneration
In many parts of the North and Midlands, future housing growth will depend as much on regeneration as on new development. A dedicated regeneration fund could support the renewal of communities, deliver additional homes and contribute to wider economic growth. Empowering mayors and local leaders with the powers, funding and flexibility to shape housing, transport and economic development together can help create the thriving places people want to live in, ensuring housing delivery is aligned with broader ambitions for place-making and inclusive growth.
Finally, no strategy to tackle the housing crisis can ignore the growing reliance on temporary accommodation. Thousands of families are trapped in insecure and unsuitable housing while councils spend billions managing homelessness pressures. This is neither socially nor economically sustainable.
Investment in social housing offers one of the clearest routes out of this cycle. Every new social home can help reduce homelessness, lower temporary accommodation costs and improve life chances.
Coupled with a Housing First approach for those experiencing homelessness, it can help ensure that people have the stability and support they need to sustain tenancies and rebuild their lives. The benefits extend far beyond housing itself, easing pressure on public services and strengthening local economies.
The solutions to the housing crisis are well understood. What is needed now is the political determination to deliver them. The reappointment of Angela Rayner and Matthew Pennycook– attending cabinet – are signals that housing will have a strong voice at the centre of government.
By investing in social housing, building sector capacity, supporting councils, strengthening devolution and recognising housing as the foundation for life, government can create the conditions for successful placemaking, stronger communities and sustainable growth.
In doing so, it can finally begin to turn ambition into lasting change. In the words of our new prime minister: “Everything starts with a good home.”
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