{
  "id": 16432363,
  "title": "Budget to include £1bn for social and affordable housing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/budget-to-include-1bn-for-social-and-affordable-housing-16432363",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-25T02:57:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Business",
    "slug": "bbc-business",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqm24j9y9zn7o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The UK government has announced a budget that includes over £1 billion for social and affordable housing across England. This funding brings the total for the government's 10-year homes programme to more than £40 billion. In addition to the housing funds, the budget is expected to grant mayors and regional leaders greater powers and funding. The Treasury will help councils borrow money at preferential interest rates to invest in housebuilding. The government hopes this will give regional leaders more flexibility and authority over investment decisions. Chancellor John Healey stated that English cities and regions will decide their own future, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham emphasized shifting power to those who know their communities best. The Chancellor also plans to unveil billions of pounds in new defense spending, though specific details will be revealed at next year's spending review. Shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith has called for Healey to resign if he fails to outline a plan to spend 3% of the UK's GDP on defense by 2030. The government will allocate £285 million in transitional seed funding for mayors and local leaders next year to support them, reducing reliance on fragmented bidding pots in Whitehall. The new £1.5 billion borrowing facility, set to be confirmed by the government, will allow mayors to access capital for local priorities, which could be used for new homes, revitalizing high streets, or improving transport links.",
  "summary": "The move will take funding for the 10-year programme to more than £40bn.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}