Andy Burnham has rightly made tackling the housing crisis – and the affordable housing crisis in particular – one of the defining missions of his Government. After decades of underinvestment in supply and increasing demand, the need for more affordable homes of all tenures is urgent, so last week’s allocation of the first £9.58 billion of the government’s £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) is a positive first step towards delivering them.

This first tranche of funding will support delivery of up to 73,600 homes, across tenures, confirming that the government will not be heeding calls to pivot the entire SAHP towards social rent.