The UK government has confirmed it will not set a specific target for the number of affordable homes to be built. Despite this, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing Baroness Taylor of Stevenage stated the government remains committed to "delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation."
In response to a written parliamentary question, Baroness Taylor claimed the government's £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme represents the largest investment in social housing ever. She also noted that 304,165 new affordable homes were delivered between April 2020 and March 2025.
Instead of a national target, national planning policy dictates that local planning authorities are responsible for assessing the affordable housing needs of their areas. This includes determining the proportion and type of affordable housing to be delivered on new developments.
This development follows last year's announcement of emergency measures to address London housebuilding targets, which included reducing affordable housing requirements to 20%.