I propose to take Questions Nos. 215 and 221 together.
The Housing for All strategy is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. Under Housing for All, 47,600 new build social homes will be delivered in the period 2022-2026. In September, I issued individual targets for social housing delivery to each local authority for this period.
As part of the measures to support institutional capacity, Housing for All commits to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to initiate, design, plan, develop and manage housing projects and recognises that this requires the resourcing of the housing services of local authorities. My Department has been working with the Housing Delivery Coordination Office (HDCO) and the County and City Management Association to identify the additional staffing resources required to deliver the social housing targets set out in Housing for All. As part of this process, the HDCO has undertaken a detailed analysis with each local authority to assess its existing housing delivery capacity and to identify any additional staffing requirements, having regard to the level of social housing to be delivered in that local authority.
The posts I have approved are all additional posts, which will provide a significant increase in the capacity of local authority housing teams.
