West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has laid out his blueprint to triple the number of social homes built across the West Midlands.

The ambitious plan would be the first time the West Midlands Combined Authority has directly funded the building of Social Housing, and comes after the Deeper Devolution Deal - negotiated by Andy - saw the Government commit to handing over control of the Affordable Homes Programme.

Now Andy wants to use the huge funding attached to the Programme – up to £400 million until 2026 – to kickstart a new era in Social Housing, tripling the number of homes built and stepping in to fill the gap after Birmingham’s bankrupt council was told it could no longer build Social Housing. 

Andy also wants to use the funds to back schemes regenerating existing estates, such as Ladywood in central Birmingham, Spon End in Coventry, Brockmoor in Dudley, Druids Heath in Birmingham, and the area around Heath Town baths in Wolverhampton.

The WMCA would partner with Housing Associations to build new Social Housing under Andy’s plan, which he launched while visiting the pioneering Nehemiah Housing in Great Barr, Birmingham on Wednesday, March 27.

Andy's plan will:

• Use the new funding from the Affordable Homes Programme to triple the pace of social housebuilding in the region from the current rate of 500-700 new homes per year started by Housing Associations in the Metropolitan WMCA area, to roughly 1,700 per year by 2028.

• Partner with developers, local authorities and housing associations to regenerate estates, providing better quality housing for existing residents, and increasing the number of homes available.

Andy said: “Everyone knows there is a desperate need for more Social Housing in the West Midlands, but until now we haven’t had the funding or control to be able to make a difference.

“However, now I am determined to use the landmark deal we signed with the Government to step in, take control and get a grip on the issue.

“When there is not enough quality Social Housing available to rent, people who need stable and secure housing find themselves stuck on waiting lists for years and often trapped in temporary or unsuitable accommodation.

“The situation in Birmingham is even worse, with the bankrupt council forced to case building Social Housing.

“That’s why we need to step in and use the hundreds of millions of pounds I have negotiated with the Government to partner with Housing Associations to fill the gap, to start building the Social Housing we need.

“We are already the only region hitting it’s housebuilding targets, and we have led the way on making sure enough affordable homes are included in new developments – but this is different. This is the next step.

“This is about building quality Social Homes for rent for people who want to have a home to call their own, people like key workers, nurses and young families. By partnering with organisations like Nehamiah, we will be building real communities too – that are nurtured by supportive housing associations.”

Other policy pledges from Andy include:

• Maintain the delivery of our minimum 20% affordable target for WMCA-funded developments, directly funding new affordable homes for local residents.
• Continue the successful Housing First scheme to help those at risk of homelessness, and secure additional funding from Government for Housing First and potentially for additional follow-on support.
• Build on the innovative Help to Own model, to develop new innovative funding and ownership models as part of the Affordable Homes Programme to give people the opportunity to buy their own homes at an affordable price.

Andy launched his plans at Nehemiah Housing Association, which provides quality, affordable housing together with wellbeing services and support to ethnically diverse communities across the West Midlands.

The Association has more than 1,250 properties serving the multicultural African, Caribbean, Asian, Irish and European communities in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Martin Levermore, Vice Chair of Nehemiah Housing, said: “It was a pleasure to host Andy at Nehemiah Housing, to share what we do and to hear about his ambitious plans for Social Housing in the region.

“It’s incredibly important that we build enough Social Housing, and the devolution of funding for Affordable Housing could be a game changer for the region. Housing associations like Nehemiah not only build homes, we build communities, so we look forward to seeing how we can play a role going forward.”

This latest Housing policy comes after Andy Street pledged vowed to seek new powers to block controversial Green Belt developments – and reclaim even more derelict industrial sites.

What Andy Street has done to improve Affordable Housing: 

Under Andy, the region has exceeded its target to deliver a minimum of 20% affordable homes in schemes funded by the WMCA – currently at 33% of homes funded being affordable. Andy has also introduced a more accurate definition of ‘affordable’, so it is based on people’s incomes, rather than house prices.

Funding has built new homes of all types, including housing estate redevelopments such as Kingshurst in Solihull, rather than focusing solely on city-centre apartments.

Andy supported more than 520 people through the pioneering ‘Housing First’ scheme for rough sleepers or those at risk of homelessness, and secured Government funding for that to continue.

Secured a commitment of up to £400 million of the Affordable Homes Programme in the region with Homes England by 2026, with greater devolution of this funding after 2026.

Deployed £15 million of Government cash to fund improvement works and tackle hazards relating to damp, mould and condensation in existing affordable housing stock, and campaigned for more local powers to clamp down on unsuitable exempt accommodation, supporting Crisis’ Regulate the Rogues campaign and Bob Blackman MP‘s Private Members Bill.

And also campaigned successfully for an increase in the level of Local Housing Allowance benefits at the 2023 Autumn Budget, to help people at risk of homelessness and being driven into council-provided temporary accommodation.