Southampton City Council launches new Affordable Housing Framework

Following approval last week at Cabinet, Southampton City Council launched a new Affordable Housing Framework at an online event yesterday evening (Tuesday 22 March)

Housing providers invited to the online launch event heard from a number of speakers including Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth, Councillor Jeremy Moulton, and Homes England’s Senior Manager for Affordable Housing Growth. Attendees were also given information on housing demand, the framework proposal and the process providers will need to go through to become a member of the new framework, giving them exclusivity to tender on sites for housing.

With wait times for affordable housing in Southampton ranging from just under four years up to 11 years and increased housing targets, this new Affordable Housing Framework aims to address the need for new and better homes for all at a much faster rate.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth at Southampton City Council, said:

“The online launch event for our new Affordable Housing Framework was a huge success with housing providers. It was great to have support from Homes England and see the level interest from providers in this new approach to delivering affordable homes.

“Our ambition is to deliver 8,000 affordable homes by 2040. To do this, we needed a new strategy that increases the pace of housing delivery and provides better opportunities for home ownership in our city. By working with partners to build homes on council-owned land, we can deliver new and better affordable homes, reduce wait times on our housing register and enable people who desperately want to step up onto the property ladder the right opportunity to do so.”

A Homes England spokesperson said:

“Under the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26, Homes England is committing almost £5.2bn in affordable housing grant to 31 strategic partnerships with 35 organisations.

“Funding continues to be available for partners, existing and new, who wish to work with us on a scheme-by-scheme basis and we are keen to collaborate with any partners with an ambition to deliver new affordable housing.”

Following the successful launch, the council will now begin preparing the framework tender which will offer housing providers a chance to bid to become a member of the Southampton City Council affordable housing provider framework. The framework is anticipated to be in place by autumn 2022.