The UK Government welcomes the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s report on Building More Social Housing following its recent inquiry. We appreciate the Committee’s focus on the important role of social housing in meeting our ambition of building 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, providing the homes this country needs. We would like the thank the Committee and all of those who took the time to provide evidence. Government recognizes there is a need for more homes of all types. Everyone should have a roof over their heads. Affordable Housing plays a key a role in increasing housing supply.

This Government agrees that, the country needs more housing. Thanks to the hard work of those in government, local authorities, agencies and the homelessness sector around the country, nearly 15,000 vulnerable people have been housed in emergency accommodation, including hotels, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes people coming in directly from the streets, people previously housed in shared night shelters and people who have become vulnerable to rough sleeping during the pandemic.