Rayner to back plan to build 180,000 social homes in next decade
It forms part of a drive to build 300,000 new social and affordable properties by 2035, backed by a £39 billion investment announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last month's spending review.
Calling on the social housing sector to 'work together to turn the tide on the housing crisis together', the Deputy Prime Minister said the investment was 'the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation'.
She said: 'We are seizing this golden opportunity with both hands to transform this country by building the social and affordable homes we need, so we create a brighter future where families aren't trapped in temporary accommodation and young people are no longer locked out of a secure home.'
But even the 180,000 new social homes set to be promised on Wednesday may not be enough to solve Britain's housing crisis.
Housing charity Shelter has argued that the Government needs to build 90,000 new social homes a year for the next decade – five times the figure Ms Rayner has committed to.
According to Shelter, building 90,000 social homes a year would clear waiting lists, which currently stand at around 1.3 million households, and end the use of temporary accommodation.
Mairi MacRae, Shelter's director of campaigns, said the focus on social housing was 'a vital step in tackling the housing emergency and getting homelessness under control', but urged the Government to do more.
She said: 'Now they must go further and ramp up building to 90,000 social rent homes a year – this means getting tough on developers, supporting councils to get building and having a clear, overall social rent target for all delivery.'
Ms Rayner's target for social and affordable housing forms part of a wider long-term plan also due to be published on Wednesday, setting out how the Government both build more houses and improve housing standards.
It is expected to include a commitment to implement minimum energy efficiency standards in the social housing sector for the first time and extend the decent homes standard to the private rental sector.
The decent homes standard currently only applies to social homes, and includes requirements to keep properties in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and be free of major hazards such as mould or asbestos.
Currently, around a fifth of privately rented homes are thought not to meet the standard.
Wednesday's plan will also include further reforms of the right to buy system intended to limit the amount of social housing that is sold off.
Last year, the Government cut the discount available to social tenants looking to buy their homes under right to buy, and ministers have been consulting on further changes.
Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: 'Conservatives actually delivered 700,000 new affordable homes when in office, but Angela Rayner can only manage a promise of 300,000.
'By slashing support for affordable home ownership and demanding more expensive social rent, Labour's approach will mean fewer new affordable homes can be delivered overall – and working people will suffer the consequences.'
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