Social and Affordable Homes Programme Prospectuses published

Today Homes England and the GLA have published their Social and Affordable Homes Programme delivery partner prospectuses alongside a policy statement from the housing minister. This outlines the details of the new £39 billion programme announced by government at the Spending Review, which will run from April 2026 for ten years, as well as the government’s strategic vision. 

Some key points in the Homes England announcement: 

• A focus on truly affordable homes - the programme will deliver 60 per cent social rent homes
• Devolved funding – outside of London, regional mayors will have £7 billion of indicative spending as part of the programme and have set out their own strategic priorities to deliver housing to meet local needs 
• Increased flexibility and support for council house building, including a new Continuous Market Engagement (CME) Portfolio route, enabling councils to use right to buy receipts alongside grant to make schemes viable and funding to build capacity in the sector
• New routes for supported and specialist housing, including through Strategic Partnerships
• There are no targets for specific tenures or types of housing but an increased flexibility for providers to bid to deliver the types of homes needed in their areas
• Additional flexibility on regeneration funding to look at additionality over a larger area and a range of sites
• A limited number of acquisitions permitted
• An ask of all providers to have 100 per cent nominations to their local councils   
• Bids expected to open for the new programme in February 2026.

Under the government’s announcement, at least 70 per cent of the programme’s funding will be delivered by Homes England, as outlined in their prospectus. Up to 30 per cent of the funding (up to £11.7 billion over ten years) will be allocated to London to be delivered by the Greater London Authority (GLA).  

The housing minister has written to all private registered providers of social housing - available here. 

• You can read the full announcement here
• More information on applying from Homes England can be found here and from the GLA here. 

Commenting on the publication, Gavin Smart, Chartered Institute of Housing chief executive said: “We welcome the publication of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme delivery prospectuses today, alongside an additional £150 million to unlock development on brownfield land. This follows the government's landmark announcement at the Spending Review of a £39 billion investment in new affordable housing over the next decade and provides the time and clarity required for the sector to respond positively.

"The prospectuses rightly give Mayors and Combined Authorities a leading role in shaping how some of the funding will be spent across their regions, recognising the importance of local leadership and collaboration in tackling housing need. Alongside new flexibility and support for councils to build at scale, this approach provides a strong foundation for lasting change.

"We particularly welcome the focus on delivering 60 per cent of homes for social rent - the most genuinely affordable option - which is essential to tackling homelessness, easing pressure on council budgets, driving economic growth and supporting local communities. We’re also pleased to see recognition of the need for investment in regeneration and in supported, community and rural housing.

"Housing providers remain committed to building the homes people need, and this programme will be a vital tool for delivery. The sector also needs certainty and funding to maintain and improve existing homes, so we look forward to the government’s forthcoming responses to consultations on the Decent Homes Standard, Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, and rent convergence.

"We look forward to working with our members and partners at Homes England, the GLA, local authorities and housing providers to turn housing ambitions into reality as we move closer to our shared goal of creating a future where everyone has a place to call home.”

You can find out more about our reaction to the programme’s announcement at Spending Review here and CIH’s submission to the Autumn Budget here.