The government has announced a landmark £39 billion investment to deliver around 300,000 new social and affordable homes across the UK over the next decade, in a major bid to tackle the housing crisis and provide secure housing for families and children stuck in temporary accommodation.

Under the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme, at least 60% of the new homes, approximately 180,000, will be for social rent, significantly expanding access to low-cost housing linked to local incomes. This marks a sixfold increase in the number of social rent homes compared to the past decade.

The announcement, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, comes as part of the government's broader Plan for Change, a long-term strategy to unlock new jobs, improve housing quality, and provide stability for the more than 165,000 children currently living in temporary accommodation.

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The initiative is outlined in a new government strategy, Delivering a Decade of Renewal for Social and Affordable Housing, published today. The plan is being hailed as the most ambitious boost to social housing in a generation and aims to not only build new homes but also raise living standards for millions of tenants.

Key measures include:

• A major update to the Decent Homes Standard, extending its protections to the private rented sector for the first time;

• Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for social housing to improve sustainability and lower energy bills;

• Reforms to Right to Buy, aimed at preserving council housing stock and ensuring new investment is unlocked for both new and existing homes.

The plan also supports broader government efforts to build 1.5 million homes overall, as outlined in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, recent reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, and the creation of a new publicly owned National Housing Bank.

With the housing crisis one of the most pressing issues facing the UK, the government's ambition marks a turning point in its approach to affordability, quality, and access in the housing sector.