West Midlands given cash boost to build homes and turbocharge social housebuilding
New homes are set to be built across the West Midlands after the region received a major funding boost.
Thousands of new homes are set to be delivered across the West Midlands as derelict wasteland sites are transformed through a £26.1 million brownfield boost.
Going straight into the hands of councils, the Government said the major cash injection will tear down crumbling buildings, old car parks and disused industrial land, wipe the slate clean, and build thriving neighbourhoods back up again.
This comes alongside a £1.7 billion indicative spend marked up for social and affordable housing in West Midlands.
Major funding pledged will turbocharge social housing plans by enabling providers to get going on bids for projects, break ground sooner, and kickstart thousands of new homes for local families.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: "This investment will be lifechanging for thousands of families in the West Midlands waiting for a safe, secure home of their own.
“We’re putting our regional Mayors firmly in the driving seat to build – with new cash to turn wastelands into homes and slash social housing waiting lists.
“We’re backing the area all the way to get spades in the ground, fire up those diggers and build, baby, build.”
Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, said: “For too long there’s been chronic underinvestment in social and affordable housing.
"That’s blighted thousands of West Midlands families who have been left struggling to pay expensive private sector rents or stuck in temporary accommodation that can often be poor quality.
“Helping these families into safe, warm homes that are genuinely affordable is the cornerstone of my Homes for Everyone priority. We’ve made a strong start, but the scale and ambition of this funding will help us go much further, faster.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Homes England so we can use this money to provide the homes local people need and change thousands more lives for the better.”
The cash injection will also fire up local jobs and drive growth, backed by the government’s record £39 billion investment the Social and Affordable Homes Programme to deliver around 300,000 social and affordable homes over its lifetime.
For the first time, Mr Parker, working with Homes England, will be able to shape the course of action for new affordable housing money in their regions, setting out ambitious plans for the types of homes that get built and sites prioritised for construction and how many suitable bids for grant funding could come forward in each area.
This means homes are built where they’re needed most, designed around local priorities, and shaped by people who know their communities best.
Also announced is £500,000 new funding for Birmingham, Dudley, and Solihull councils, through the Council Housebuilding Support Fund, to accelerate the construction of council homes at a scale not seen in years.
This comes after the Housing Secretary made his first big intervention in the social and affordable housing space and hosted the industry’s biggest providers at a summit last month, urging key players in the sector to ‘Go big, go bold, and go build’.
