Housing associations hold the key to Government's homes ambitions: Nick Atkin
The first £10 billion of allocations from the Government’s Social and Affordable Homes Programme includes around £690 million investment for Yorkshire, which is genuinely good news for the region.
Yorkshire Housing has secured £230 million to deliver more than 2,000 affordable homes over the next decade. Alongside this funding we will also be investing over £700m over the ten-year programme, bringing the total we’re investing in the region to nearly £1bn.
Those are big numbers. But housing is ultimately about much more than numbers.
Across Yorkshire and the Humber, around 172,000 households are on social housing waiting lists. Behind every number is a person or family waiting for the security of a decent, affordable place to call home.
They are people who want to stay where they grew up but cannot afford to. Families living in homes that are too small because there is nowhere else within their means.
Older people who want to remain independent and close their communities.
That is why this investment matters. And why, for me, the biggest prize here isn’t just the funding - it’s also the certainty. That’s important because building affordable homes takes time. It needs land, planning permission, skilled people, contractors, investment, and strong local partnerships.
Decisions made today may not result in a family receiving their keys for several years. This changes the picture.
Long-term certainty means housing associations can plan further, invest in skills and apprenticeships, and build stronger partnerships with local authorities, contractors, and communities.
Affordable housing is also an economic driver, supporting jobs, businesses and supply chains while giving people the security they need to work and thrive. That’s why housing is essential infrastructure for growth.
Housing associations are key delivery partners. Across Yorkshire and the Humber, they already own more than 206,000 homes. We are embedded in the communities we serve, understand local housing markets, and work alongside our Mayors and councils every day.
But funding alone will not solve everything. We need planning that helps good homes come forward, suitable land and infrastructure that keeps pace with growth. We also need to make the most of devolution.
Yorkshire’s mayors and local leaders are closest to the housing challenges in their communities and should have the powers and resources to shape housing investment around local needs.
The more decisions we can make at a local level, the more likely we are to deliver the right homes in the right places, supported by the infrastructure communities need to thrive.
That will require partnership. The Government, Homes England, mayors, local authorities, developers, housing associations and communities all have their role to
play.
When the Government first announced this £39 billion programme last year, it was a clear signal of its ambition. Here at Yorkshire Housing, we’ve repeatedly said this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle the housing crisis and give our sector the long-term certainty we’ve been calling for.
Now we must turn that certainty into action, that investment into homes and those homes into opportunities.
Success will not be measured by funding announcements or housing targets, but by whether more people can afford to live, work, and build a future in the communities they call home.
This is the opportunity that has been presented to Yorkshire. In true Yorkshire style we’re ready to get on with it.
Nick Atkin is chief executive of Yorkshire Housing