Collaboration, financing and skills: how to unlock delivery of social housing

Awaab’s Law comes into force in October this year, forcing social landlords to act quickly to address damp and mould that presents a significant risk of harm to the people living there. This law not only strengthens tenants’ rights, it also helps to ensure that all can live in safe, good quality homes, regardless of tenure.

Awaab’s Law is just one element of a raft of measures the current Government is introducing to shore up access to safe, affordable, good quality homes. From reform of the planning system to commitment to ambitious home building targets, there are reasons to be optimistic in terms of both housing quality and supply.

However, with levels of homelessness remaining unacceptably high, the urgency for deeper discussion into the solutions needed to truly unlock delivery of social housing and genuinely affordable housing continues.

As the National Planning Policy Framework consultation response landed in December 2024, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity welcomed industry leaders spanning construction to the second in a series of solutions-focussed roundtables. Opened by City Mayor Paul Dennett, the attendees explored possible solutions to blockages in the development pipeline with a focus on what is achievable in Greater Manchester and the North West.

The views captured provide a high-level overview of the sorts of solutions considered as actionable pathways to unlocking social housing and genuinely affordable housing. Increased collaboration across the Greater Manchester region was central to many of the solutions explored, running through discussion of the possible regulatory reforms heralded in the NPPF to a need to increase public sector and construction capacity, workforce development and funding implications.

Pooling resources, increasing opportunity for early and focused dialogues between stakeholders, and streamlining (where practicable) processes between Local Authorities in Greater Manchester all depend on a mix of strategic leadership at the GM level, and convening space and networks throughout the development pipeline across the region.

Mechanisms to prioritise planning decisions and funding access while simplifying regulatory compliance requirements for all viable affordable housing developments were also identified as a means to scale up delivery of social housing.

To read more, view the roundtable briefing here. If you would like to keep up-to-date with this meeting series, or learn more about specific themes explored, get in touch today.