NHC calls on next government to finance 320,000 new homes on brownfield land
Ahead of the 2024 general election, the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) has called on the next government to focus on regeneration and job creation, alongside 320,000 new homes on brownfield land.
As part of the offer, the NHC said the new homes could be delivered across the region through a 10-year, £4.2bn fund delivered by mayoral combined authorities.
This could be done together with a new, long-term Affordable Homes Programme that offers increased flexibility to support regeneration projects, the devolution of aspects of the Right to Buy policy to local authorities, and the unlocking of more sites and delivery across the North.
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The NHC’s plans include a massive retrofit operation aiming to improve older and colder homes across the region.
As part of the 10-year decarbonisation project, the membership organisation estimates up to 77,000 green jobs could to be created, funded by a £500m a year investment by the government by 2030, and a further £1bn a year up to 2035 in order to progress towards net zero.
Funding for retrofitting would also be devolved to mayoral combined authorities to enable a place-based approach for the scheme.
The NHC’s offer ultimately hopes to ensure access to good quality homes across the North, introducing a new Decent Homes Standard for the social and private sectors, support for local authorities in tackling the issues created by poor-quality housing in the private sector, and backed up by a new financial settlement for social housing providers.
Tracy Harrison, chief executive of the NHC, said: “Housing associations, local authorities and ALMOs own 1.3 million homes across the North. Social housing providers already make a huge contribution to local economies across the North, delivering around 60,000 new homes over the last five years, supporting over 70,000 jobs, and creating great places for people to live.
“However, we need to go much further and faster to tackle some of the challenges we face in the diverse housing markets we have across the North. That’s why we need a new partnership with government, with a commitment to long-term investment."
The NHC boss believes this will create the certainty needed to deliver new homes, refurbish existing ones and unlock brownfield land for up to 320,000 homes, as well as creating 77,000 green jobs through decarbonising the North’s older, colder homes.
She added: “There is much to do, but we and our members stand ready to work in partnership with the next government to create great homes, great places and a new generation of green jobs.”
Earlier this year, Ms Harrison outlined how the NHC is expanding ‘Unlocking Success’, the bursary scheme that supports tenants to access learning, to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
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