The stark reality facing Andy Burnham’s council housebuilding revolution
Andy Burnham has promised a major expansion of council housebuilding to tackle high rents and a social-housing waiting list of more than 1.3 million households. The article argues that delivering this ambition will be difficult because the wider government target of 1.5 million homes before the next election is already behind schedule, while construction costs and labour shortages constrain development.
It links some of these pressures to Brexit, citing an estimated loss of over 200,000 construction workers and higher material costs than in the EU. Savills expects about 840,000 homes to be under construction by mid-2029, while the government’s £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme aims to provide around 300,000 properties; council homes, which are locally owned and typically rented at about half market rates, remain a distinct challenge.
In short
- Council housebuilding plans face major delivery obstacles.
- Labour’s wider housing target is already off pace.
- Costs, labour shortages and policy pressures limit construction.
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The case for
The acute housing crisis, with 1.3 million households waiting and rents unaffordable for many, demands bold action; council homes delivered at roughly half market rates offer direct social benefit and address market failure in ways private development has not. Construction constraints are real but represent a resource problem rather than a reason to abandon ambition; proper investment and planning can overcome them, and the severity of housing need justifies prioritising this challenge above competing construction demands.
The case against
Government housebuilding targets are already behind schedule whilst construction faces acute labour and material shortages, making an expanded council programme appear unrealistic and poorly timed. Alternative approaches—planning reform, regulatory streamlining, or incentives for private development—might deliver more housing per pound spent without straining scarce construction resources. The evidence suggests the sector lacks capacity to deliver both the government's broader 1.5 million target and a major council expansion, raising questions about whether this ambition represents sensible priority-setting given real constraints.
Explained simply
Council housing is built or owned by local authorities and rented to residents, usually at below-market rates. Demand has grown as rents have risen and many households wait for social housing; the waiting list cited in this debate includes more than 1.3 million households.
Andy Burnham is the elected mayor of Greater Manchester, where councils have a role in planning and housing. The government has a wider target to build 1.5 million homes before the next election, and its Social and Affordable Homes Programme is intended to fund about 300,000 properties.
Building homes requires land, money, materials and workers, and these limits affect both councils and private developers. Brexit has been linked to fewer construction workers and higher material costs, while the scale and type of homes delivered will shape how far housing programmes can ease pressure on rents and waiting lists.
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