This month, I thought I would share with you my plans to spark a revolution in the amount of Social Housing built in the West Midlands.

What do I mean by Social Housing? Well, I guess it’s the kind of housing that used to be called ‘council houses’, but things have changed a great deal since those days.

For a start, councils don’t build as many houses as they used to – these days it tends to be Housing Associations that take on the job of providing valuable, quality accommodation for affordable rent.

Everyone knows there is a desperate need for more Social Housing for rent in our region. The situation in Birmingham is even worse, with the bankrupt council forced to stop building Social Housing.

When there is not enough quality Social Housing available, people who need stable and secure housing find themselves stuck on waiting lists for years and often trapped in temporary or unsuitable accommodation.

The problem is that until now we haven’t had the funding or control to be able to make a difference. That has changed, thanks to the landmark deal I signed with the Government - which will allow us to step in, take control and get a grip on the issue.

The idea is simple, and it forms one of the big pledges of my re-election campaign. I will use the hundreds of millions of pounds I have negotiated with the Government – up to £400 million until 2026 – to partner with Housing Associations to fill the gap and start building the Social Housing we need.

We are already the only region hitting its house building targets, and we have led the way on making sure enough affordable homes are included in new developments – but this is different. This is the next step.

The ambitious plan would be the first time the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has directly funded the building of Social Housing.

And we have to be ambitious – I’m talking about tripling the pace of social housebuilding in the region from the current rate of 500-700 new homes per year started by Housing Associations in the Metropolitan WMCA area, to roughly 1,700 per year by 2028.

I also want to partner with developers, local authorities and housing associations to regenerate existing estates, providing better quality housing for existing residents, and increasing the number of homes available.

This is about building quality Social Homes for rent for people who want to have a home to call their own, people like key workers, nurses and young families. We will be building real communities too – that are nurtured by supportive housing associations.

Our region is leading the way on building new homes in the right places – this pledge will make even more quality houses available.

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