CIH responds to Reform UK proposals on social housing allocation

CIH has responded to proposals from Reform UK to prioritise British-born workers aged under 35 for social housing. 

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has announced plans to give priority in social housing allocations to British-born workers under 35, alongside former military personnel and married couples with children. The party has also said it would build 50,000 affordable homes a year. 

CIH supports action to help younger people access safe, secure and affordable homes. However, housing policy must be based on an accurate understanding of housing need and the evidence available on who applies for and receives social housing. 

Social housing eligibility is already subject to extensive legal and regulatory requirements. Not everyone living in the UK is eligible to apply, and access to social housing for people subject to immigration control is restricted by existing rules. (As we have set out previously, illegal migrants, asylum seekers and migrants on student or work visas are not eligible for social housing.) This policy would therefore impact long-term UK residents that have contributed to our country but are not British citizens, including key workers.  

The fundamental challenge facing the social housing system is not simply who is at the front of the queue. It is the shortage of genuinely affordable homes available to meet the level of need. 

Official statistics show that in 2024/25, 89% of lead tenants receiving a new social housing letting were UK nationals. Around 36% were in work, while 46% had a physical or mental health condition. 

These figures reflect the purpose of social housing allocations. The people receiving new lettings are often those with the greatest or most urgent housing needs, including people who are homeless, disabled or living with long-term health conditions. 

Data on the nationality of people on housing registers needs to be treated with caution. Government statistics indicate that 85% of lead applicants on housing registers were UK nationals, with 7% from the EEA, including Ireland, and 8% from outside the EEA. However, nationality information was available for only 22% of households on registers and the government explicitly warns that the data should not be used to estimate the number of households in England with particular characteristics. 

This means that estimates of the total number of non-UK nationals on housing registers should not be presented as robust national figures. The available data also does not identify whether a UK citizen was born in the UK or overseas, meaning it cannot be used to establish how many applicants are "British-born". 

Rachael Williamson, CIH's director of policy, communications and external affairs said: "We should be careful not to turn frustration about the lack of affordable housing options available into a debate about setting different groups against one another. 

"Social housing is allocated within an existing legal framework designed to prioritise housing need. The fundamental problem is that there are not enough genuinely affordable homes for everyone who needs one. 

"Britain needs more social homes, not a more divisive argument about who should be pushed further down the queue. If political parties are serious about giving young people and families a better chance of a secure home, they need to set out credible plans to build the social and affordable homes that the country urgently needs."