On Wednesday 26 November, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her much-anticipated Autumn Budget. Here is how our CEO, Graeme Anderson responded to the announcements:

“The continued commitment to the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme, despite the recent reshuffles, provides more positive outcomes for low-income families, of which we see many in Bromsgrove, by increasing the availability of affordable homes.

The Chancellor’s decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap in full will also ease pressures on families. According to data provided by the End Child Poverty Coalition, this will lift approximately 250,000 children out of poverty and mean 850,000 are in less deep poverty, resulting in a transformational impact on households in our town and across the country.

The lack of clarity on Rent Convergence at this stage is disappointing, but we are pleased by the news of £3.4bn over the next three years from the Warm Homes Plan. For organisations like ours, this investment will help us maintain affordability for tenants while continuing to protect the long-term sustainability of our homes.

However, significant investment means nothing if there continues to be a bottleneck in the delivery of homes. That’s why the announcement of £48 million for 350 new planners within the wider planning reform is another important move. We hope this will result in greater pace, allowing projects to move from concept to construction more quickly.”