The Comeback of the Council House

The council house could be making a comeback.

The Government has announced the first major wave of funding from its £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, with £9.58 billion being allocated to 33 Strategic Partners outside London. The funding is expected to support around 73,600 new social and affordable homes across England over the next ten years.

Around 60% of homes delivered through the wider programme are expected to be for Social Rent, helping families currently facing long waiting lists or temporary accommodation, while putting councils back at the heart of housebuilding.

For an industry that has spent years discussing the shortage of affordable housing, this marks a significant shift. But it also raises another question: if we are going to build more homes, how do we make sure they are homes built to last?

 

Bringing councils back into housebuilding

The role of councils in providing housing is nothing new.

Following the Second World War, local authorities played a major part in rebuilding communities and tackling the country’s housing shortage, with councils building almost 200,000 homes in some years.

That role gradually declined, particularly following the introduction of Right to Buy in the 1980s and subsequent changes to the way social housing was funded and delivered. Today, many councils no longer have the same capacity to build homes themselves.

The Government’s latest announcement is intended to begin changing that. Councils will be able to become Strategic Partners with Homes England, while a further £46 million will support councils in developing the skills and expertise needed to deliver new housing.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made the return of council housebuilding a key part of his approach to the housing crisis.

As he put it:

“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.”

The ambition is to give local authorities a greater role in deciding what gets built, where it is built and who it is intended to serve.

 

A Greater Manchester opportunity

For Greater Manchester, the announcement has particular significance.

The region is expected to receive £529 million through this first wave of funding, supporting around 4,400 new social and affordable homes.

With Greater Manchester already pursuing ambitious plans to increase the supply of affordable housing, the additional funding could provide further momentum for development across the region.

But the challenge is not simply turning funding into numbers. It is turning that ambition into homes that genuinely work for the communities they are intended to support.

 

More homes, but built to last

Housing targets are often measured in numbers. How many homes can be built? How quickly can they be delivered? How much funding is available?

These are important questions, but they are not the only ones.

A new home is a long-term investment. It needs to provide a safe, secure and suitable place to live not just when construction is complete, but for many years afterwards.

That makes quality just as important as quantity.

As housebuilding activity increases, so does the importance of good design, competent construction, appropriate inspections and careful oversight throughout the development process. Getting the build right from the outset is about more than meeting a target. It is about creating homes that people can rely on.

This is particularly important for social and affordable housing, where homes are intended to provide stability and security for individuals and families who may have spent years waiting for somewhere to live.

Planning a social or affordable housing development? Find out how a Social Housing Warranty can help protect your project against certain structural defects.

Get a Social Housing Warranty Quick Quote

 

Supporting a new generation of housing

The latest funding will not be delivered by councils alone.

Housing associations and other providers will continue to play an important role, with the first wave involving 33 Strategic Partners across England. Section 106 agreements will also remain an important route for delivering social and affordable housing alongside grant-funded projects.

Developers, housebuilders, contractors, architects, surveyors, consultants and other property professionals may all have a role to play as the programme develops.

With more than £16 billion still to be allocated outside London, the programme could create a substantial pipeline of new projects across the construction sector.

 

 

 

What does this mean for structural protection?

Whenever new homes are built, the conversation around quality should extend to what happens after completion.

Structural warranties can form an important part of that picture, providing protection against certain structural defects that may emerge after a new property has been completed.

For councils, housing associations and developers delivering new homes, considering structural protection as part of the wider development process can help provide reassurance for those involved in the project and, importantly, for the people who will ultimately live in those homes.

If tens of thousands of new homes are going to be delivered over the next decade, the focus cannot simply be on getting more homes onto building sites. The industry also needs to maintain the standards and processes that help ensure those homes are safe, durable and built for the future.

 

A return to building for the future

The latest announcement represents the beginning of a much larger programme, rather than the finished answer to the UK’s housing crisis.

After decades in which council housebuilding became a much smaller part of the housing landscape, local authorities are once again being encouraged to take a central role in delivering new homes.

The council house may be making a comeback.

The opportunity now is to make sure that the homes being built as part of that comeback are not simply affordable and available, but well designed, properly constructed and built to last.

For those delivering social and affordable housing, having the right structural protection in place is an important part of that process.

 

Our Social Housing Warranty provides a dedicated solution for eligible housing association developments, underwritten by A+ Rated AXA UK, helping provide protection against certain structural defects.

Because building more affordable homes is only part of the challenge.

Making sure they are built to last matters too.