Government announces 70,000 social homes but faces criticism over scaled-back council pledge
The government has allocated £10bn for 70,000 social and affordable homes in England, with 60% for social rent, but critics say it falls short of promises to prioritise council housing.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The government has announced the first wave of funding from its £39bn social housing programme, allocating £10bn to build 70,000 social and affordable homes in England over the next decade. The announcement, made by housing minister Matthew Pennycook, confirmed that 60% of the new homes will be for social rent, with the remainder for affordable rent and shared ownership. The funding will be distributed to 33 strategic partners, including housing associations and only three councils, a point of contention given Prime Minister Andy Burnham's earlier promise to dedicate the entire £39bn to council housing.
The plan is part of a wider target to build 300,000 social and affordable homes across England. The first wave includes £6bn for London and just under £10bn for other regions, with allocations for Greater Manchester, the North East, and West Yorkshire. However, charities and opposition parties have criticised the scale, pointing out that 1.3 million households are on waiting lists and that 90,000 social homes a year are needed to meet demand. The Conservatives called the pledge unfunded, while the Liberal Democrats highlighted the crisis in local government funding.
The announcement comes amid broader housing policy changes, including plans to give elected mayors powers to overrule local councils on large planning applications. Meanwhile, Reform UK has reiterated its promise to prioritise British families for social housing, proposing to build 50,000 affordable homes a year. The political divide on housing is sharpening as the government faces pressure to deliver on its promises.
The human cost of the housing crisis was highlighted in reports from Cornwall, where families are living in vans, and in the story of a mother and her baby living in a hotel room. Charities say the new funding is a step forward but far from sufficient to end homelessness. The government insists its plans will deliver the largest expansion of council housing in decades, but critics argue the numbers do not match the rhetoric.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  | BBC |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 6 or more of 8 channels | ||||||||
| Angela Rayner announced a plan to build 70,000 homes, with 60% of them as social housing. | BBCReported by BBC | Reported by Sky News | ||||||
| Reported by a few · 2–5 channels | ||||||||
| Mayors would be able to intervene in developments exceeding 150 homes, 15,000 square metres of commercial space, or 10 storeys in height. | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | ||||
| There are 1.3 million people on the social housing waiting list. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Housing charities said 90,000 social homes need to be built every year to meet demand. | Not reported by Channel 5 | BBCReported by BBC | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| £6 billion is allocated to London, with under £10 billion split among other English regions. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Mayors would be allowed to charge a levy on developments to fund infrastructure, similar to the Elizabeth line. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Most of the 70,000 homes will be built by housing associations, not councils. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Only three of the 33 strategic partners are councils. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Sadiq Khan already has similar powers but has not met his housing targets. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| The Conservative mayor supports the policy despite criticism from his own party. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The government promises to deliver 1.5 million new homes over the current Parliament. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The policy has been criticised by the Tories, Liberal Democrats, Reform and the Greens. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||||||
| A GB News presenter argued that without changing allocation rules, most of the 70,000 new homes will go to foreign nationals. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Andy Burnham previously said all £39bn should be spent on council homes. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Andy Burnham said no child should be raised in a hostel room. | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Andy Burnham's approval rating jumped by about 10 points to around 13 points. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Bev moved into a flat with help from Harbour Housing. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Cornwall's housing shortage is partly due to second homes and holiday lets. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Data showed that 24 of 26 parliamentarians in areas with the highest foreign-born social housing allocation were Labour. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Last year half of England's local authorities did not build a single council home. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Mayors could gain powers to approve major energy projects such as wind and solar farms by 2028. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Reform UK announced a social housing policy prioritising British families, British-born residents and veterans. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Reform UK pledged to build 50,000 affordable social homes per year for a decade. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Reform UK said the social housing allocation system assesses need rather than suitability, disadvantaging British veterans and young workers. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The £10 billion housing funding will be spent entirely outside London. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Conservative Party will vote against the mansion tax proposal. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Conservatives called the pledge unfunded and said homes won't have to be delivered until 2039. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Conservatives said the plans are unfunded and that stopping foreign nationals from renting social homes would free up tens of thousands of houses. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The first wave of housing funding is £9.5 billion outside London. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The funding is split between six regions, including Greater Manchester, Liverpool and the West Midlands, to build 20,000 new homes. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The government is holding back £16bn of funding to prioritise council homes. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The government plans to spend at least 60% of the first £10bn housing allocation on social rent homes. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The government said councils have lost capacity to build homes. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The Labour government plans to send council tax officials into homes to revalue properties and impose higher taxes. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The mansion tax threshold is expected to be lowered once the policy is enforced, affecting more homes. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Prime Minister had previously promised a council house revolution. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The triple lock has made pensions 70 billion pounds a year more expensive than in 2019-20. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Thirteen areas will get powers similar to those held by the Mayor of London. | Not reported by BBC | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News focused on the political contrast between Labour's housing plan and Reform UK's proposal to prioritise British families. The channel framed the announcement as a potential giveaway to foreign nationals and highlighted Reform's alternative, with a right-wing editorial tone critical of the government's approach.
- “Angela Rayner has now revealed her plans to build 70,000 homes to tackle the crisis. 60% of them have to be social housing but of course if you don't change the rules then really the vast majority of that I think anyway is almost definitely gonna go to foreign nationals”
- “We want to build, a Reform government will build, an extra 50,000 affordable social homes every year for a decade.”
5 News combined human interest reporting from Cornwall with analysis of the government's announcement. The channel highlighted the lived experience of the housing crisis, including van dwellers and the struggle for affordable homes, while also examining the political implications of the funding allocation.
- “Today, plans have been laid out to allocate billions of pounds to councils and housing associations to create what they call genuinely affordable homes.”
- “Of the new homes announced, 60% will be for social rent.”
- “only a very small number of these homes are due to be built actually by councils.”
BBC TWO's Newsnight focused on the fiscal pressures facing Prime Minister Andy Burnham, including higher-than-expected borrowing figures and the constraints of his fiscal rules. The channel analysed whether Burnham has the political steel to make tough choices, rather than focusing on the housing announcement itself.
- “new figures that show government borrowing came in 2.3 billion pounds more than predicted last month”
BBC ONE West covered both the mayors' planning powers and the 70,000 homes announcement. The channel highlighted the potential conflict between devolution and local accountability, and reported on the criticism from opposition parties and charities regarding the scale of the housing plan.
- “Developments would be eligible for intervention if they involve more than 150 homes”
- “More than 70,000 social and affordable homes are to be built in England over the next 10 years”
- “60% will be for social rent”
BBC NEWS provided detailed coverage of the funding allocation, including the breakdown by region and the reaction from charities and opposition parties. The channel emphasised the shortfall against the 90,000 homes a year that charities say are needed, and noted Conservative claims that the pledge is unfunded.
- “The Conservatives have called the pledge unfunded and say the small print of the announcement shows homes won't have to be delivered until 2039.”
- “Housing charities say 90,000 social homes need to be built every year to meet demand.”
ITV1 focused on the apparent U-turn by Andy Burnham, who had previously promised that all £39bn would be spent on council homes. The channel's economics editor highlighted that only three of the 33 strategic partners are councils, and questioned whether the scale of the plan matches the demand.
- “He said very clearly at the hustings as he launched his campaign to BNP that this pot of money, this £39 billion had already been set aside by Keir Starmer's government for affordable homes should all be spent on council homes.”
Channel 4 provided a comprehensive analysis of the housing announcement, including interviews with housing experts and a focus on the human impact. The channel highlighted the gap between the government's promises and the reality, with charities calling for 90,000 social rent homes a year, and questioned whether the plan is enough to end homelessness.
- “we need 90,000 social rent homes a year for 10 years”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.