In response to the Autumn budget today (27 October 2021), Steve Collins, CEO of affordable housing provider Rentplus-UK said:
“Any new investment in housing is to be welcomed but the current funding is still well short of what is needed to provide the affordable housing required to meet demand. Given the Chancellor’s wish to control spending, the only way to deliver the number of new affordable homes needed is through a significant injection of institutional funding. Privately funded housing providers are already stepping in to fill this gap but there is the potential for many more billions to be invested
“Homes England and the National Housing Federation have called for more institutional investment in the social housing sector. This must be supported by the Government being clearer on its support for alternative tenures to Help-to-Buy and Shared Ownership. Innovative programmes such as affordable rent to buy are not only already adding to the supply of affordable housing but are also widening access to homeownership to those on lower incomes. These and other schemes are ready to be scaled up with the encouragement of government and all at no cost to the taxpayer.”