Somerset Council has welcomed new investment in social and affordable housing, while urging the Government to trust local authorities to direct funding where they know it will have the greatest impact.
It is great to see housing at the top of the national agenda and to see a clear recognition from Government that the housing crisis requires urgent action.Across our county, we know first-hand the challenges that local people face in finding a safe, secure and affordable home. House prices and private rents remain out of reach for many households, while the supply of affordable housing continues to struggle to keep pace with demand.We welcome investment that helps councils, housing associations and communities deliver the homes people need. While we do not yet know what funding Somerset will receive, we ask the Government to give councils the flexibility to direct resources locally. Councils understand their local housing pressures and should be trusted to target funding where it will make the greatest difference.
Demand for affordable housing in Somerset continues to grow. As of 30 June 2026, 13,149 households were registered with Homefinder Somerset, the county’s choice-based website to apply for social housing. This includes both active applications and households currently being considered for a property.
The rising number of applications reflects a combination of factors, including affordability pressures, an ageing population, changing household sizes and increasing demand for homes that are suitable for people’s needs.
Somerset Council is already delivering new affordable homes through its Housing Development Strategy, which aims to provide 580 new council homes over the coming years while working closely with housing associations, developers, parish councils and local communities to increase housing supply across both rural and urban areas.
Councillor Smith-Roberts added:
If the Government wants to accelerate the delivery of council housing, it should wipe out the historic self-financing debt still held in councils’ Housing Revenue Accounts. This debt is a major barrier to investment in new housing, diverting money that could otherwise be used to build the safe, secure and affordable homes local people urgently need.Somerset continues to service more than £133 million of this historic debt. Wiping it out would free up substantial funding to reinvest directly in new council homes and could enable us to add around 630 more properties to our housing stock. That would more than double the 580 homes already planned through our Housing Development Strategy, giving many more Somerset families the chance of a stable, affordable home while supporting stronger communities across the county.
Somerset Council’s Housing Development Strategy, which includes plans to build 580 high-quality, energy efficient council homes over the next 5 years, can be read in full on their website.
