Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report entitled Capital grant required to meet social housing need in England 2021 – 2031, published by the National Housing Federation in June 2019, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings that (a) over the decade from 2021 it will be necessary to build 145,000 social homes each year and (b) on average a capital grant from Government of £12.8 billion per year will be required to provide these homes; and what action he is taking to increase the number of social homes in England.

We are committed to increasing the supply of social housing and have invested over £9 billion into our Affordable Homes Programme to deliver 250,000 affordable homes by 2022, including at least 12,500 for social rent. In September we announced an additional £2 billion of long-term funding certainty for housing associations. This extra funding will deliver more affordable homes and stimulate the sector’s wider building ambitions, through strategic partnerships. £1 billion of this funding is open for bidding with existing Homes England Strategic Partnerships.

We have increased the size of the Affordable Homes Programme, re-introduced social rent, removed the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap for local authorities, and have set out a long-term rent deal for councils and housing associations in England from 2020. Housing associations and local authorities now need to accelerate delivery and build more affordable homes.