Government announces 70,000 social homes but faces criticism over scaled-back council pledge
The government has allocated £10bn for 70,000 social and affordable homes in England, with 60% for social rent, but critics say it falls short of promises to prioritise council housing.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The government has announced the first wave of funding from its £39bn social housing programme, allocating £10bn to build 70,000 social and affordable homes in England over the next decade. The announcement, made by housing minister Matthew Pennycook, confirmed that 60% of the new homes will be for social rent, with the remainder for affordable rent and shared ownership. The funding will be distributed to 33 strategic partners, including housing associations and only three councils, a point of contention given Prime Minister Andy Burnham's earlier promise to dedicate the entire £39bn to council housing.
The plan is part of a wider target to build 300,000 social and affordable homes across England. The first wave includes £6bn for London and just under £10bn for other regions, with allocations for Greater Manchester, the North East, and West Yorkshire. However, charities and opposition parties have criticised the scale, pointing out that 1.3 million households are on waiting lists and that 90,000 social homes a year are needed to meet demand. The Conservatives called the pledge unfunded, while the Liberal Democrats highlighted the crisis in local government funding.
The announcement comes amid broader housing policy changes, including plans to give elected mayors powers to overrule local councils on large planning applications. Meanwhile, Reform UK has reiterated its promise to prioritise British families for social housing, proposing to build 50,000 affordable homes a year. The political divide on housing is sharpening as the government faces pressure to deliver on its promises.
The human cost of the housing crisis was highlighted in reports from Cornwall, where families are living in vans, and in the story of a mother and her baby living in a hotel room. Charities say the new funding is a step forward but far from sufficient to end homelessness. The government insists its plans will deliver the largest expansion of council housing in decades, but critics argue the numbers do not match the rhetoric.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC | BBC News | BBC One | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angela Rayner announced a plan to build 70,000 homes, with 60% of them as social housing. | ||||||||
| Mayors would be able to intervene in developments exceeding 150 homes, 15,000 square metres of commercial space, or 10 storeys in height. | · | · | · | · | ||||
| There are 1.3 million people on the social housing waiting list. | · | · | · | · | ||||
| Housing charities said 90,000 social homes need to be built every year to meet demand. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| £6 billion is allocated to London, with under £10 billion split among other English regions. | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Mayors would be allowed to charge a levy on developments to fund infrastructure, similar to the Elizabeth line. | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Most of the 70,000 homes will be built by housing associations, not councils. | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Only three of the 33 strategic partners are councils. | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Sadiq Khan already has similar powers but has not met his housing targets. | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| The Conservative mayor supports the policy despite criticism from his own party. | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| The government promises to deliver 1.5 million new homes over the current Parliament. | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| The policy has been criticised by the Tories, Liberal Democrats, Reform and the Greens. | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News focused on the political contrast between Labour's housing plan and Reform UK's proposal to prioritise British families. The channel framed the announcement as a potential giveaway to foreign nationals and highlighted Reform's alternative, with a right-wing editorial tone critical of the government's approach.
- “Angela Rayner has now revealed her plans to build 70,000 homes to tackle the crisis. 60% of them have to be social housing but of course if you don't change the rules then really the vast majority of that I think anyway is almost definitely gonna go to foreign nationals”
- “We want to build, a Reform government will build, an extra 50,000 affordable social homes every year for a decade.”
5 News combined human interest reporting from Cornwall with analysis of the government's announcement. The channel highlighted the lived experience of the housing crisis, including van dwellers and the struggle for affordable homes, while also examining the political implications of the funding allocation.
- “Today, plans have been laid out to allocate billions of pounds to councils and housing associations to create what they call genuinely affordable homes.”
- “Of the new homes announced, 60% will be for social rent.”
- “only a very small number of these homes are due to be built actually by councils.”
BBC TWO's Newsnight focused on the fiscal pressures facing Prime Minister Andy Burnham, including higher-than-expected borrowing figures and the constraints of his fiscal rules. The channel analysed whether Burnham has the political steel to make tough choices, rather than focusing on the housing announcement itself.
- “new figures that show government borrowing came in 2.3 billion pounds more than predicted last month”
BBC ONE West covered both the mayors' planning powers and the 70,000 homes announcement. The channel highlighted the potential conflict between devolution and local accountability, and reported on the criticism from opposition parties and charities regarding the scale of the housing plan.
- “Developments would be eligible for intervention if they involve more than 150 homes”
- “More than 70,000 social and affordable homes are to be built in England over the next 10 years”
- “60% will be for social rent”
BBC NEWS provided detailed coverage of the funding allocation, including the breakdown by region and the reaction from charities and opposition parties. The channel emphasised the shortfall against the 90,000 homes a year that charities say are needed, and noted Conservative claims that the pledge is unfunded.
- “The Conservatives have called the pledge unfunded and say the small print of the announcement shows homes won't have to be delivered until 2039.”
- “Housing charities say 90,000 social homes need to be built every year to meet demand.”
ITV1 focused on the apparent U-turn by Andy Burnham, who had previously promised that all £39bn would be spent on council homes. The channel's economics editor highlighted that only three of the 33 strategic partners are councils, and questioned whether the scale of the plan matches the demand.
- “He said very clearly at the hustings as he launched his campaign to BNP that this pot of money, this £39 billion had already been set aside by Keir Starmer's government for affordable homes should all be spent on council homes.”
Channel 4 provided a comprehensive analysis of the housing announcement, including interviews with housing experts and a focus on the human impact. The channel highlighted the gap between the government's promises and the reality, with charities calling for 90,000 social rent homes a year, and questioned whether the plan is enough to end homelessness.
- “we need 90,000 social rent homes a year for 10 years”
Broadcast Timeline
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