Thousands of new homes in England will be built as part of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, the UK government has said. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed that £2 billion in grant funding to deliver up to 18,000 new homes in England will go some way to “fixing the housing crisis“. The funding is described by the government as a “down payment from the Treasury” ahead of longer-term investment in social and affordable housing expected to be announced later in the year. At least half of the planned 18,000 homes are expected to be social homes, as charities urged that the “vast majority” should be for social rent amid record highs in homelessness across the country.

The number of households on local authority waiting lists, or registers, for social housing in England stood at 1,330,611 in 2024 – the highest figure in a decade. The housebuilding boost is aimed at helping to fulfil the government’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years, and comes a day ahead of Reeves’ spring statement on Wednesday.