The new government must use its power to regenerate the North

First, the new government must recognise that housing associations have a clear role to play as strategic delivery partners. This makes sense, because housing associations have a long-term commitment to the communities we work with and a wealth of experience in doing exactly what’s required: building new homes and regenerating communities in a way that maximises the social and economic benefits for local people.

To play our part, though, housing associations need to be on a sustainable financial footing. Sir Keir Starmer’s government must act quickly to agree a new, long-term rent settlement with the sector. This will require political bravery but is necessary to move housing associations towards the financial certainty they need to be able to borrow the money that will pay for the building of new homes and regeneration.

The housing crisis is acute in the North of England, where a shortage of homes is holding back economic growth. Research from Homes for the North shows that the region needs two million new homes by 2050 to fulfil its economic potential – and an estimated 100,000 homes need to be replaced or significantly upgraded in the medium term.

Homes for the North has a clear vision for how to build the homes that our region needs and kick-start the economy. Last year we published our Plan for More and Better Homes in the North, providing the first-ever comprehensively mapped vision of regeneration opportunities across the North of England. This plan made clear the game-changing role that housing associations could play at the heart of local delivery partnerships – delivering almost 43,000 new homes, regenerating 80 communities, and delivering £3.9bn to the Northern economy.

A long-term rent settlement will play a crucial role in this, but to deliver the Plan for More and Better Homes we need the new government to take a strategic approach to housebuilding. This means planning reform that links the number of homes needed locally to economic growth aspirations so that our members can deliver homes where they will do most to drive economic growth.

It also means providing certainty on grant funding and greater flexibility in how that can be used to deliver the homes the North needs. A first step here would be for the new government to act quickly to renew the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) for at least the next five years – bolstering the financial footing of housing associations and allowing them to invest and build.

But an extension of the AHP is not, by itself, enough to get things moving. In the North of England, the number of new homes needed is almost equalled by the number that need replacement because they are in poor condition and reaching the end of their life cycle.

Historically, net additionality rules have meant that it has not been possible to use funding from the AHP to replace these homes. The last government belatedly took action to change this, but only on a temporary basis. The new government should act quickly to make this change permanent.

Finally, we are pleased by the noises the new government is making on changes to hope value. There is clear scope for reform in this area – and changes, combined with judicious use of compulsory purchase powers to assemble sites, could make all the difference for some of the larger schemes we have set out in our Plan for More and Better Homes.

I am encouraged by all that I have seen from the government on solving the housing crisis. The challenge now is to turn rhetoric into reality – Homes for the North members are ideally placed to help the government to deliver on its mission of getting Britain building.

Bronwen Rapley, chair, Homes for the North