Ahead of the mayoral vote in Greater Manchester, a new blueprint has been unveiled, urging the incoming leader to use devolved powers to tackle the region's pressing housing needs. The document, published by the Home Builders Federation (HBF), paints a stark picture of the scale of development required to address affordability and boost home ownership.
The HBF estimates that achieving Greater Manchester’s annual Standard Method housing target of 14,400 homes would create approximately 50,000 jobs each year and inject £3.2 billion into the local economy. This could also deliver £650 million in affordable housing investment and generate £90 million for new infrastructure, including £40 million specifically for schools.
Despite these ambitions, housing affordability has deteriorated across all ten Greater Manchester boroughs over the past two decades. House prices have consistently outstripped wage growth, while the proportion of households owning a home with a mortgage has declined from 39% to 28%. The share of private renters has more than doubled, highlighting a significant shift in housing tenure.
Greater Manchester has shown resilience, however, completing an average of 10,650 homes annually over the past five years and recording a 1.3% increase in completions during the 2024/25 financial year – contrasting sharply with a 6% fall across England.
The HBF’s manifesto calls on the incoming mayor to prepare a new Spatial Development Strategy, allocate more small sites for SME housebuilders, and continue prioritising brownfield development in sustainable locations. This would build on progress made so far and create conditions conducive to building more homes in appropriate locations, supporting local jobs and investment.
Neil Jefferson, Chief Executive of the HBF, stressed that strong devolved leadership could tackle the housing crisis by creating a supportive environment for construction. He urged the incoming mayor to collaborate with central government, Homes England, and mortgage lenders to improve access to home ownership, while strengthening ties between the industry and further education providers to address critical skills shortages.