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Is Burnham’s plan for a housing revolution anything more than a pipedream? | John Harris
Andy Burnham has promised a major council housebuilding drive, but the article argues that funding and policy gaps leave the scale of his housing ambitions uncertain. The stakes are immediate: families face homelessness and insecure temporary accommodation, while many children live in poor-quality homes.
The government’s £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme allocates 60% of its first £10bn to social housing, with initial results not expected until around 2029. Insiders estimate it could deliver about 19,000 social homes annually, far short of Shelter’s estimate of 90,000 needed each year; councils also face £31.8bn in debt that limits building.
In short
- Burnham’s council housing pledge faces funding and delivery hurdles.
- About 1.7 million children live in non-decent accommodation.
- The projected 19,000 homes a year falls below estimated need.
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The case for
Burnham’s plan could give councils a route to build homes directly for people whom the market and existing programmes are failing, reducing homelessness and providing secure, decent housing. The government’s commitment to direct 60% of the programme’s first £10bn to social housing offers a basis for progress, and ambitious plans may help build support for the further funding and policy changes needed.
The case against
The scale of the need makes it reasonable to question whether the plan can deliver a housing revolution: the programme may support only about 19,000 social homes a year, against Shelter’s estimate of 90,000 needed. Councils’ substantial debt and the delay before early results are expected also make delivery uncertain, so promises without a credible plan for funding and easing those constraints risk raising expectations that cannot be met.
Explained simply
Council housing is homes owned and let by local authorities, usually at rents below private market levels. Councils once built large numbers of them, but building slowed over decades as government policy changed and many homes were sold to tenants.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, wants councils to build more homes. The national government’s £39bn programme supports social and affordable housing, but much of its funding is spread over time, and councils’ existing debts can limit what they can build.
The shortage matters to people who cannot find secure, suitable housing, including families in temporary accommodation and children living in poor conditions. The gap between the number of homes being built and the number campaigners say are needed helps explain why the scale and pace of any building drive are uncertain.