Minister Insists Burnham Has Not Rowed Back On Key Housing Pledge

A minister has jumped to defend Andy Burnham over concerns he has already pulled back from a key housing pledge he made earlier this year.

The government has today unveiled a nearly £10 billion plan to boost the number of “genuinely affordable homes” in the UK.

It’s part of the prime minister’s pledge to carry out the largest council housebuilding programme since the postwar period, with 70,000 new homes across England – 60% of which would be allocated for social rent.

However, that promise still falls short of the expectations Burnham set while campaigning to be the next Makerfield MP.

The then-Labour candidate said: “There’s £39bn allocated over a 10-year period … I’m saying that should be dedicated to council homes. Let’s not be coy any more. I’m saying council homes because control matters.”

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook rejected the suggestion that Burnham had rowed back on his pledge on Tuesday morning.

He told BBC Breakfast: “No I don’t. Andy Burnham said he wanted to see more money spent on house-building. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

The Labour MP insisted the government was still putting a “greater emphasis on council housing”.

He added: “We’ve taken a pragmatic approach. We want to get money out the door. There are housing associations and other providers who bid for grant funding who are ready to deliver homes.

“Through the revised programme, we are ensuring not only that councils are included in the long-term strategic partnership route but we are holding back funding – £60 billion of funding – outside of London we’re going to prioritise that for social rented homes and also council homes.”

More than £2 billion of the first funding allocations will be spent in mayoral areas outside of London.

More than £16 billion will be distributed outside of London while at least £6 billion will be available through the Greater London Authority.

Burnham said: “No child should be raised in a hostel room and no family should wait 10 years for a front door of their own.

“I have said from my first day in this job that everything starts with a good home.

“Nearly £10 billion will go to councils and housing associations to build genuinely affordable homes, most of them for social rent, in the places where families are waiting longest.

“Councils built this country out of a housing crisis once before.

“Backed properly, and trusted to get on with it, they will do it again.”

Shadow housing secretary James Cleverly called the announcement a “sleight of hand” and “another unfunded spending commitment”.

He added: “The small print shows homes won’t have to be delivered until 2039.”

The Liberal Democrats’ housing spokesperson Gideon Amos said: “The move to allow councils to bid for funds for social housing is a good first step to helping secure adequate housing stock.

“However, until they address the care funding crisis in local government, very few authorities will be able to benefit from these changes.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.