Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help provide new rented homes which are affordable for people earning the National Living Wage in Newcastle Central.

The provision of affordable housing is part of the government's plan to build more homes and provide aspiring homeowners with a step onto the housing ladder.

Since 2010, we have delivered over 632,600 new affordable homes, including over 441,612 affordable homes for rent, of which over 162,800 homes for social rent. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver tens of thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country.

The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.

The department records funding allocation for this programme on a regional basis. As of the end of November 2022 a total of £3.4 billion had been allocated to contractors in London from the 2021-2026 Programme, while a total of £289,409,600 was allocated to the North East.