Wiltshire Council calls on Government to invest in more social housing

Wednesday, 21 January 2026 12:04

Wiltshire Council is calling on the Government to take urgent action to address a growing funding gap that threatens the delivery of new social housing and the improvement of existing homes.

Cllr Adrian Foster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Planning Development and Housing, has written to Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, highlighting the challenges faced by councils and Registered Providers (RPs) in meeting new national standards, while continuing to build much-needed homes.

The council has welcomed recent Government measures, including the November 2024 update to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which prioritised affordable housing at social rent levels (50–55% of market rates) rather than affordable rent (80% of market rates).

It also supports new legislation to improve housing quality and tenant rights, such as Awaab’s Law, which mandates strict timeframes for social landlords to address serious health and safety hazards, such as damp and mould, and requires all homes to achieve EPC C by 2030.

However, despite these positive steps, the council is concerned that the absence of a funding mechanism to support these changes is making it financially unviable for many RPs to deliver new social housing.

Rising interest rates, increased maintenance and retrofit costs, and additional compliance requirements have created significant financial pressures. As a result, some developments in Wiltshire have already had to remove social rent units from planning applications, replacing them with shared ownership homes.

Cllr Foster said: “We fully support the Government’s ambition to build more homes and improve standards, but without urgent action to address the funding gap, these ambitions will not be realised, particularly in terms of social housing.

“We are facing a housing crisis driven by long-term underinvestment in social rent housing. Unless Registered Providers receive the support they need, the delivery of new social homes, and the improvement of existing stock, will continue to stall.

“That is why we are calling on the Government to review the funding challenges facing Registered Providers and ensure that the £39bn allocated to Homes England can be effectively utilised to deliver high-quality, affordable and social rental homes for those who need them most, both in Wiltshire and across the country.”