Labour Housing Chair Urges Chancellor to Spend Affordable Homes Fund Sooner

The Labour chair of the Commons housing committee has asked the chancellor to spend from the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme now, rather than hold large sums until after the next election.

The call came from Abena Oppong-Asare, MP for Erith and Thamesmead, in an exclusive report published on 9 October 2026 headlined 'Labour chair of housing committee calls for urgent funds for affordable homes in England'. The Guardian She chairs the committee for Labour.

She asked the chancellor to release money as soon as possible. She said a large share should fall in this parliament. She said homes for social rent, rents set far below the market, should be first in line.

Under current plans, ministers would send £6bn to London now, with large parts of the remaining £13bn held to the second half of the 10-year scheme, after the next election.

The call cites sector figures. Housing associations, non-profits that build affordable homes, said more funding could mean 41,000 extra homes outside London over 10 years. They said the total includes 25,000 for social rent, with starts on 15,000 possible in the next three years.

The National Housing Federation, which speaks for housing associations, said that would need an extra £5.3bn from the programme. Its chief executive is Kate Henderson.

Rachel Reeves announced the £39bn 10-year fund last year. The government targets 1.5 million new homes in this parliament. The first £10bn went in August under the Burnham government to councils and housing associations outside London for varied subsidised homes. Ministers said it would help build 70,000 homes.

The £39bn programme sits in a wider plan for 300,000 social and affordable homes. BBC Oppong-Asare backed that aim locally last year. In her September 2025 newsletter, she said the £39bn Affordable Homes Programme would deliver more safe, secure housing locally.

The broader context here is timing and tenure. Spending early, or front-loading, puts grants in this parliament and into starts possible within three years. Delaying leaves more budget room now but moves delay risk to the second half of the scheme. Social rent takes deeper grant per home than other subsidised types and returns lower rents, so priority changes what £5.3bn buys.

Looking at what this means for delivery, the sector offer tests both clocks. Fifteen thousand starts in three years would help the 1.5 million target without settling it. The question for the chancellor is whether to move money forward to catch those starts, and whether to reserve it for social rent.