70,000 social and affordable homes to be built across England as part of £39bn plan

70,000 social and affordable homes to be built across England as part of £39bn plan In the 1950s, councils were delivering roughly 200,000 homes each year, although only a fraction of authorities currently own or construct their own properties. During 2024‑25, about 12,000 homes were completed for social rent – the highest figure since 2013‑14. Nevertheless, the National Housing Federation and homelessness charities have previously stated that at least 90,000 social homes must be built annually to meet demand. Social housing provides affordable accommodation at reduced cost, overseen by social landlords. It encompasses affordable rented units, low‑cost home ownership options such as shared ownership, and can be supplied by local authorities and housing associations. Charlie Berry, policy manager at the housing charity Shelter, described the announcement as “not adjacent the level we request to genuinely tackle that backlog and extremity homelessness”. She characterised it as a “significant improvement” and added she would “love” Rayner to perpetrate to a people of however many socially rented homes volition be built annually. Beyond the commitment to expand social housing, the