Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has welcomed a £441 million government investment expected to support the delivery of around 4,000 new social and affordable homes across the region.
The funding forms part of the first major allocation from the Labour Government’s £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, which is intended to deliver a new generation of secure and genuinely affordable housing.
Reflecting on her own experience of growing up in social housing, Brabin said:
“As someone who grew up in a council flat, today’s news is personal.”
“I want every child in West Yorkshire to have that same stable foundation that I had.”
“Now, over £440 million is coming to our region to build thousands of much-needed council and social homes.”
West Yorkshire’s allocation is expected to support approximately 4,000 homes over the next decade, providing a significant boost for families struggling with high housing costs, homelessness and long waits for a secure home.
The announcement is part of nearly £10 billion being allocated to 33 strategic partners—including councils, housing associations and other providers—to support 73,600 new social and affordable homes across England.
Around 60% of the homes delivered through the partnerships are expected to be for social rent, the most affordable form of rented housing.
The Government is also placing councils back at the centre of housebuilding, with local authorities being given a stronger role in determining where homes are built and ensuring investment reflects the needs of their communities.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the programme would help ensure that no child had to grow up in a hostel room and no family was left waiting years for a secure front door.
Housing and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said rebuilding council housebuilding was fundamental to helping families move out of temporary accommodation and into safe, affordable and permanent homes.
The Government’s regional funding breakdown confirms that West Yorkshire will receive an estimated £441 million, alongside substantial investments in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, the North East, Liverpool City Region and South Yorkshire.
The funding marks an important step towards delivering the Government’s ambition for the largest expansion of council and social housing in decades.
