Title

POLITICS

Budget: Reeves attempts to drive up affordable homes

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed a raft of measures to tackle the ‘desperate lack of affordable housing’ including reform of the Right to Buy scheme.

Budget: Reeves attempts to drive up affordable homes

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed a raft of measures to tackle the ‘desperate lack of affordable housing' including reform of the Right to Buy scheme.

Reeves told Parliament the Government will reduce Right to Buy discounts and enable councils to keep all the receipts generated by sales to boost social housing stock.

Since the Right to Buy scheme was introduced in 1980, the stock of council housing has decreased from 5.1 million to 1.6 million.

Promising to ‘get Britain building again', Reeves confirmed the Affordable Homes Programme would receive a £500m boost, bringing its annual budget to £3.1bn to help deliver 5,000 social homes.

Reeves said there would be a consultation on a five-year social housing rent settlement, which would increase in line with the Consumer Prices Index measurement of inflation, plus 1%. 

The Government will also consult on a 10-year settlement, which the Local Government Association has said was needed to provide stability to Housing Revenue Accounts.

Reeves confirmed £46m to train planning officers, £233m to go towards tackling homelessness and £1bn to accelerate the removal of dangerous cladding on homes following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report.

 

POLITICS

Partnering in Essex to promote a greener future

By George Frost | 31 July 2025

George Frost looks at how group community energy schemes are pioneering sustainable solutions in Essex.

POLITICS

Home Office recommits to closing asylum hotels

By Joe Lepper | 31 July 2025

The Government has insisted it ‘remains committed’ to ending the use of hotels for asylum accommodation after growing public anger.

POLITICS

Climate action is a social movement

By Cllr Nick Ireland | 30 July 2025

Climate action is seen by Dorset Council as a way to improve lives, says Cllr Nick Ireland.

POLITICS

Rising to the rough sleeper challenge in Peterborough

By Kelly Slack | 29 July 2025

A new initiative unique to Peterborough offers temporary accommodation in new homes for up to 17 people with multiple and complex needs. Kelly Slack explains.

Popular articles by William Eichler