Title

HOUSING

Budget 2020: £1bn building safety fund to remove unsafe cladding

A new £1bn fund to remove unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings has been unveiled today by the chancellor.

A new £1bn fund to remove unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings has been unveiled today by the chancellor.

In his 2020 Budget announcement, Rishi Sunak said the £1bn building safety fund will enable all unsafe materials to be removed from public and private buildings more than 18 metres tall.

Mr Sunak also said the Affordable Homes Programme would be extended with a new, multi-year settlement of £12bn, the largest cash injection into affordable housing for a decade.

Nearly £1.1bn of allocations from the Housing Infrastructure Fund will help build nearly 70,000 new homes in high demand areas across the country, he said.

In addition, ‘ambitious' mayors will have access to a new £400m fund to build new homes on brownfield sites.

To help tackle homelessness, the chancellor said a new £650m fund would help rough sleepers move into permanent accommodation, which will provide 6,000 new places and 'enable a step change in support services'.

HOUSING

Leading neighbourhood health

By Lee Peart | 03 March 2026

Cllr Wendy Taylor, chair of the LGA’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, says local government must be central to the development of a neighbourhood health model.

HOUSING

Pensions can transform places

By Pete Gladwell | 19 February 2026

Local government partnerships are crucial for turning pension savings into homes and jobs, says Pete Gladwell.

HOUSING

The art of the deal

By Cllr Stephen Alambritis | 12 February 2026

Stephen Alambritis says local authorities need to think commercially to thrive – and he explains what one London council’s £186m deal proves.

HOUSING

Why Britain's poorest neighbourhoods keep failing and what might fix them

By Mark Morrin | 10 February 2026

Mark Morrin says decades of regeneration and renewal have failed to deliver lasting change for the poorest neighbourhoods— and he considers what the solution...

Popular articles by Laura Sharman