Thousands of social and affordable homes to be built across England in £39bn plan
The UK government has announced a £10 billion initial investment to build 70,000 social and affordable homes across England as part of a broader £39 billion plan. While housing charities welcomed the move, some critics argue the funding allocation is insufficient to meet the national housing crisis.
Why it matters
This policy decision addresses a critical socio-economic issue in the UK, balancing government pragmatism with the urgent need for affordable housing.
Image source, Getty Images By Tarah Welsh , Housing correspondent and Jade Thompson , BBC News Published 24 August 2026 Updated 1 hour ago Ministers have announced where more than 70,000 social and affordable homes will be built in England over the next 10 years as part of an initial allocation of almost £10bn, in a bid to address the housing crisis.
Funding has been granted to Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North East England, and Liverpool. An additional £6bn was previously announced for London.
It is the first part of a wider plan to build 300,000 social and affordable homes across the nation, under the government's £39bn social housebuilding programme.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in