The government has today set out its long-term plans for the future of social housing that it hopes will see thousands of new homes built and drive up the safety and quality of homes over the next decade.

Delivering a Decade of Renewal for Social and Affordable Housing, published today, will usher in a decade of housing renewal across the country, according to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

As part of its plans, the government has set an ambition to deliver 300,000 new social and affordable homes through the unprecedented £39 billion new Social and Affordable Homes Programme announced at the Spending Review. It has promised that 60% (180,000) of these new homes will be for social rent.

Living standards for millions of social housing tenants will also be driven up under long-awaited plans to update and modernise the Decent Homes Standard, which will be extended to privately rented homes for the first time, and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards will be implemented for the first time in the social housing sector.

Further measures set out, include long-trailed changes to Right to Buy and other measures to protect vital council housing stock, and increasing overall standards.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner, said: “With investment and reform, this government is delivering the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, unleashing a social rent revolution, and embarking on a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing in this country.

“That’s why I am urging everyone in the social housing sector to step forward with us now to make this vision a reality, to work together to turn the tide on the housing crisis together and deliver the homes and living standards people deserve through our Plan for Change.”

Since coming into office, the government says it has listened carefully to social housing providers and tenants.

The five steps, which the government says are central to the government’s housing plan, are:

1. Deliver the biggest boost to grant funding in a generation
2. Rebuild the sector’s capacity to borrow and invest in new and existing supply
3. Establish an effective and stable regulatory regime
4. Reinvigorate council housebuilding
5. Forge a renewed partnership with the sector to build at scale.

To achieve the ambition of delivering more social and affordable housing, the government is issuing a ‘call to arms’ to everyone with a role in social and affordable housing to prove they can deliver at scale and at pace.

A new long-term 10-year settlement for social housing rents will be introduced from April 2026 to provide the social housing sector with the certainty they need to reinvest in existing and new housing stock.

The government is also publishing a consultation on how to implement a convergence measure, with options for this being capped at £1 or £2 per week– with a final decision to follow at this year’s Autumn Budget.

Further views will be sought on a new Decent Homes Standard which will modernise the standard, with proposals that hold tenant safety at their core but remain proportionate and affordable for providers to deliver.

Views will also be sought on updating standards to make sure homes are warm and efficient through a Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard for the social rented sector.

The government has also set out a package of wider reforms to the Right to Buy scheme to protect vital housing stock and to enable councils to ramp up delivery of new homes. This follows the reduction in maximum cash discounts that was implemented in November 2024.

Minister for Energy Consumers, Miatta Fahnbulleh, said: “Everyone deserves to live in a warm, secure and affordable home, which is why we are setting out bold plans today to transform housing over the next decade.

“This includes proposals to introduce an energy efficiency standard for social housing for the first time ever, helping tenants benefit from cheaper energy bills and more efficient homes.”