The government has announced its support for the delivery of more than 70,000 homes across England through the first wave of funding from its £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
The Prime Minister and Secretary of State Angela Rayner have released details of the allocation of almost £10bn that will go to 33 Strategic Partners – councils, housing associations and other providers that have secured long-term funding certainty to deliver homes at scale.
Alongside housing associations, councils will be awarded Strategic Partner status with Homes England. Around 60% of homes delivered through these partnerships are expected to be for Social Rent, the most affordable form of rented housing.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “No child should be raised in a hostel room and no family should wait ten years for a front door of their own. I have said from my first day in this job that everything starts with a good home. Councils built this country out of a housing crisis once before. Backed properly, and trusted to get on with it, they will do it again.”
Secretary of State Angela Rayner said: “Families can’t be left raising children without a place to call home, and none of us should spend years waiting for somewhere safe and affordable to live. I know how important fixing this is – because I’ve been there. A safe and secure home was the foundation for a better life – I couldn’t have got to where I have today without it.”
Amy Rees, chief executive officer at Homes England, said: “Through these strategic partnerships and continuous market engagement, alongside Homes England’s wider investment including through the National Housing Bank, we can help unlock thousands of much-needed homes across England. By working with councils, mayors, housing associations and local partners, we can support the return of council housebuilding at scale, increase the supply of social rent homes and create thriving places that people are proud to call home.”
Strategic Partners to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026-2036 are:
| Organisation | Homes | Grant* |
| Abri Group Limited | 1,967 | £350.0m |
| Accent Housing Limited | 1,340 | £172.4m |
| Amplius Living | 2,500 | £320.5m |
| Aster Communities | 1,320 | £240.0m |
| Bromford Flagship Livewest Limited | 2,629 | £350.0m |
| Cambridge City Council | 803 | £96.4m |
| Clarion Housing Association Limited | 2,977 | £350.0m |
| Eastleigh Borough Council | 1,042 | £154.4m |
| EMH Housing and Regeneration Limited | 2,495 | £314.5m |
| Great Places Housing Association | 2,600 | £320.6m |
| Hyde Housing Association Limited | 2,250 | £349.9m |
| Jigsaw Homes North | 1,990 | £249.5m |
| Karbon Homes Limited | 2,533 | £350.0m |
| Magna Housing Limited | 1,500 | £250.0m |
| Metropolitan Housing Trust Limited | 2,500 | £299.8m |
| Midland Heart Limited | 1,820 | £225.1m |
| Newcastle City Council | 966 | £141.4m |
| Onward Homes Limited | 3,000 | £345.1m |
| Orbit Group Limited | 3,335 | £350.0m |
| Park Properties HA Ltd | 1,500 | £148.9m |
| Places For People Group Limited | 2,595 | £350.0m |
| Platform Housing Group Limited | 2,800 | £350.0m |
| Plymouth Community Homes Limited | 1,500 | £250.0m |
| Sage Homes RP Limited | 2,772 | £350.0m |
| Sanctuary Housing Association | 2,000 | £350.0m |
| Stonewater Limited | 2,348 | £350.0m |
| Thirteen Housing Group Limited | 2,750 | £349.2m |
| Together Housing Association Limited | 3,200 | £326.6m |
| Torus62 Limited | 2,865 | £349.9m |
| Vico Homes Limited | 2,200 | £250.0m |
| Vistry Homes Limited | 3,028 | £350.0m |
| Vivid Housing Limited | 2,482 | £349.9m |
| Yorkshire Housing Limited | 2,010 | £230.0m |
* Figures rounded to the nearest £100,000.
Today’s package also helps councils access more of the funding available to the programme and make full use of Right to Buy receipts – with £1.61bn raised from sales alone in the last financial year – and other available funding streams. The government is investing a further £46million over the next three years to strengthen councils’ skills, expertise and capacity to bring forward ambitious housebuilding plans.
Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “It is hugely welcome to see this much-anticipated funding confirmed, something we have been calling for to kickstart construction on tens of thousands of desperately needed new social homes. This is a major vote of confidence in not-for-profit housing associations and in the vital and distinct role they play in this country, as organisations that work for the long-term benefit of their communities.”
Gavin Smart, chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “We welcome the strong focus on homes for social rent and the ambition for council housebuilding, and the recognition of the vital role that councils, housing associations and other providers will play in delivering the next generation of genuinely affordable homes.”
Cllr Liam Robinson, chair of the Local Government Association’s Inclusive Growth Committee, said: “Councils have long called for a sustained return to building genuinely affordable homes and stand ready to work with government to deliver the revival in social housebuilding. The confirmed allocation of the first phase of the £39bn fund and the increased Capacity to Build funding are positive steps to achieving this ambition.”
