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A new report from IPPR and IPPR North has warned that homelessness in England could rise by 25% by the end of the decade without targeted action from the government.
\nThe data projects that the number of people owed a homelessness relief duty by their local authority could rise from 182,540 in 2024-25 to 231,299 by 2029-30.
\nThis duty applies when councils are required to help people who are homeless and eligible for support to secure accommodation. The rise would mean around 50,000 more people facing homelessness by 2030.
\nThe report identifies rising living costs and a shortage of social and affordable housing as factors contributing to homelessness. It also notes that councils continue to spend billions of pounds each year on temporary accommodation as part of wider homelessness support.
\nIt calls for a national shift towards a housing-led approach, focused on helping people move into stable housing earlier, with support provided where needed.
\nThe authors also recommend bringing long-term empty homes back into use, reducing reliance on temporary accommodation and supporting mayors to use strategic planning powers to set ambitious social housing targets.
\nAccording to The Guardian, Andy Burnham’s leadership team has been briefed on the projections. This follows Burnham’s previous pledge to deliver the biggest council housebuilding programme since the postwar period.
\nYou can read the full IPPR report here.
\nHousing associations and housebuilders in Wales have called for changes to the planning process, as the country works towards its target of delivering 20,000 social homes by 2030.
\nAccording to the BBC, social landlords and private-sector builders have said it is taking too long to secure permission for new housing developments.
\nThe need for faster delivery comes as recent Welsh Government estimates show that around 9,400 more homes are needed for people without a permanent place to live. The same report estimates that an average of 8,700 additional homes of all tenures will be needed each year up to 2030.
\nPlanning Portal’s monthly Market Insight data also provides wider context on the planning pipeline in Wales. In June, planning applications submitted in Wales were down 13% compared with June 2025, the largest percentage decrease of any region.
\nAcross the first half of 2026, applications submitted in Wales were down 20%, representing around 2,100 fewer applications compared with the same period in 2025.
\nThe BBC also reported that higher delivery costs are affecting social housing. According to Audit Wales, the grant required for a home increased from £93,000 to £163,000 over four years.
\nThe Welsh Government said it remains committed to delivering 20,000 additional social homes by 2030, supported by an extra £20 million in its draft supplementary budget.
\nIt has also said a national agency, Unnos, will be created to support councils and housing associations with planning applications, land and funding for projects.
\nMPs have called for greater reuse of vacant and underused historic buildings as part of efforts to support the government’s target to deliver 1.5 million homes.
\nIn new report from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, MPs said this approach could help create up to 670,000 new homes by bringing more historic buildings back into use.
\nThe report follows an inquiry into the state of the UK’s built heritage, including listed buildings, churches, old factories and monuments. It found that many historic buildings are under pressure from rising costs, workforce shortages and challenges linked to the planning process.
\nThe committee has recommended a “reuse first” approach, with greater focus on adapting existing buildings where appropriate. It has also suggested reforms to the planning process and proposed the launch of a heritage-to-housing scheme to help bring vacant historic buildings back into residential use.
\nThe report also points to financial barriers affecting the repair and reuse of older buildings. It said the current VAT system can make repairs and conversion more expensive than new construction, with MPs recommending targeted relief for maintenance and conversion.
\nDame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said the best way to protect a building is for it to be “occupied, used, lived in and loved”.
\nYou can read the full report here.
\nThe government has confirmed that social housing landlords will need to fix more serious hazards within set timeframes, under the next phase of Awaab’s Law coming into force on 30 November 2026.
\nAccording to a recent press release from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on gov.uk, the rules will extend Awaab’s Law beyond dangerous damp and mould to include seven additional hazard categories
\nThese include electrical hazards, fire risks, excess cold and heat, structural issues, risks of falling and domestic hygiene issues such as pest infestations.
\nWhere a hazard poses an immediate danger, landlords will need to investigate and make the home safe within 24 hours.
\nFor serious hazards that are not immediately dangerous, landlords will need to investigate within 10 working days and provide tenants with a written summary within 3 working days of the investigation. Any urgent safety work must then be completed within 5 working days, with longer-term repairs started within 12 weeks.
\nAwaab’s Law was introduced following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 after exposure to dangerous damp and mould in his home. The first phase came into force in October 2025, requiring social housing landlords to address dangerous damp and mould within fixed timeframes.
\nThe government has said a third phase will follow in 2027, extending the faster repair requirements to the remaining hazards in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, except overcrowding. Visit the government’s website for more information.
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