Nearly £400m will be pumped into the Liverpool City Region to help fix the area's housing crisis. Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has hailed the "massive" investment, which he says could herald the first council-house building programme in the region in decades.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner announced the first wave of the government's £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme, with nearly £10bn allocated to build thousands more council, social and affordable homes around the country.
Funding for new homes
In this first wave, the Liverpool City Region is set to receive up to £380m to support the construction of around 3,100 new social and affordable homes for families over the next decade. The cash will be delivered to strategic partners in the region, including councils, housing associations and other providers that have secured long-term funding certainty to deliver homes at scale.
The government said the announcement marks a key step towards getting councils building at scale again.
Mayor's reaction
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram told the ECHO that this "massive" moment will herald the start of a major council-house building programme in the area for the first time in decades. He said: "It's massive for us, we have been developing plans for housing for some time. Now we have a Labour government that wants to support this.
"If we didn't have devolution in place, this wouldn't be happening, full stop. It shows how well developed our plans are, that we are in the first tranche of funding. Now we can get on and put these plans.
"I want to see council housing built again in the Liverpool City Region. This opens up that opportunity for the first time in 40 years."
Addressing the crisis
Liverpool and the wider city region has faced a major crisis in the availability of social housing in recent years, leaving many families trapped in temporary accommodation. Liverpool Council's waiting list for social housing properties remains stuck at around 13,000.
Mayor Rotheram added: "We have to increase the housing stock. If we want to tackle issues like homelessness - families who can't get into homes - we need to build more houses.
"We can build these quite quickly because we have people all working together. We are in a good position to hit the ground running with this."
He added: "I want the Liverpool City Region to be at the forefront of the biggest revival in council housebuilding in a generation. We've spent decades talking about the need to build more council homes - now we've got a real opportunity to get on and do it. I want to see cranes in the sky and spades in the ground, getting on with building the homes our communities need."
Mayor Rotheram added that he will work to ensure local workers are skilled up so that they can benefit from the job opportunities that will arrive with the house-building bonanza.
Local council support
Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, said: "This announcement is welcome news for cities like Liverpool, where too many families are waiting too long for a secure, affordable home. Demand for social housing continues to grow, while pressures on temporary accommodation remain significant. That's why investment on this scale is so important.
"Liverpool is already taking action to tackle these challenges through a wide-ranging programme of housing investment. We are bringing long-term empty homes back into use, supporting the development of new homes on small sites across the city, helping unlock stalled housing developments, and working with housing associations and other partners to increase the supply of affordable housing.
"Alongside this, we're progressing a new Local Plan that will help deliver thousands of homes in the years ahead while ensuring growth is shaped around the needs of local communities.
"Today's announcement has the potential to accelerate that work. If councils are given the resources, flexibility and long-term certainty they need, we can deliver more genuinely affordable homes, reduce reliance on temporary accommodation and give more Liverpool families the security of a place they can call home."
The government said that alongside housing associations, councils like those in the region will be awarded Strategic Partner status with Homes England, helping "put them back at the heart of housebuilding." Around 60% of homes delivered through these partnerships are expected to be for Social Rent, the most affordable form of rented housing.
Government statements
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "No child should be raised in a hostel room and no family should wait ten years for a front door of their own. I have said from my first day in this job that everything starts with a good home.
"Nearly £10bn will go to councils and housing associations to build genuinely affordable homes, most of them for social rent, in the places where families are waiting longest.
"Councils built this country out of a housing crisis once before. Backed properly, and trusted to get on with it, they will do it again."
Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook, said: "Everyone deserves to live in a decent, safe, secure and affordable home. Yet far too many families in need of one are languishing on social housing waiting lists and almost 180,000 children in England are growing up homeless in temporary accommodation.
"The only way to fix this is to build more social and affordable housing which is why we're backing local leaders with up to £380m to support the construction of around 3,100 new social and affordable homes for families in need across the Liverpool City Region."
The government is also investing a further £46 million over the next three years to strengthen councils' skills, expertise and capacity to bring forward ambitious housebuilding plans.
