The minister of state for housing and planning, Rachel Maclean, gave a major speech at the National Housing Federation Conference, outlining government plans for the housing sector.

Firstly, the Tory MP used the event to promote what this government has done to support housing in recent years:

She said: “Since 2018 this government has delivered the three highest annual rates of new home building for 30 years.

“With more than 860,000 households helped to purchase a home since spring 2010, through Government backed schemes such as Help to Buy and Right to Buy.

“And we’re on track to meet our manifesto target of delivering one million new homes in this Parliament. It’s by expanding delivery overall, we are stimulating the market to deliver more affordable homes through the planning system.

“A significant proportion of that new housing supply will be the many thousands of new affordable homes being built across the country.

“This includes tens of thousands for social rent, delivered through our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme.”

After reflecting on the past, the housing minister turned her attention to future ambitions, including a plan to create “a stronger, fairer housing market”.

She commented: “It is a plan to deliver more homes.

“More opportunities for people to own their home.

“More homes in the right places.

“More beautiful and greener homes and neighbourhoods.

“That is underpinned by the regeneration and renaissance in the hearts of 20 of our towns and cities through inner city densification and brownfield development.

“Anyone who like me who has spent most of their life in Birmingham, in my case about five decades, in Birmingham, will have seen that progress over time. I personally feel very proud of what Birmingham has done and can continue to do. Especially now with the Mayor, Andy Street.

“But we are also supercharging the growth in our cities including Leeds and Cambridge, which of course is Europe’s science capital.

“We have high ambitions and a long-term plan to achieve them.

“Safe, decent warm social housing

“But, beyond that, we need to get the basics right – ensuring that every home is safe, decent and warm.

“That must be the first priority for landlords.

“The tragic death of Awaab Ishak in Rochdale underlined in the starkest terms what is at stake.

“Why we must raise the bar for existing homes and new homes.

“Why we must learn the lessons from the past to build better homes for the future.

“As we deliver more homes and we continue to aim for our target of 300,000 a year, we do so in the right way – prizing quality as well as quantity – ensuring the safety and dignity of residents.

“Starting with getting our existing housing stock up to scratch and improving the lives of those living in it.”

The minister also reiterated the government’s pledge to deliver more social housing, insisting that “quality matters”.

“But so too does quantity – meeting the significant demand for more social housing,” she continued, with particular reference to the Affordable Homes Programme.

She added: “The Affordable Homes Programme also now offers funding for estate regeneration – for providers looking to replace existing homes with new affordable homes – something I know has been widely welcomed, underlining, the important contribution that social housing providers can make to levelling up and regenerating communities across the country.

“We’re determined to use every possible lever to increase the supply of affordable homes and deliver for those who need them most.

“That’s why we’re looking at national planning policy, thinking about changing it to clarify that local planning authorities should do more to prioritise Social Rent homes.

“And it’s why – having listened to your concerns through a number of discussions that I’ve held, your concerns about the new Infrastructure Levy – we have recently amended the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to strengthen the protections in law for onsite affordable housing delivery and have committed to further consultation with you on the detail.

“Like you, we are determined to see that the Levy delivers at least as much – if not more – affordable housing than the existing system of developer contributions.

“It’s also why we’re investing in accommodation for those fleeing war and conflict in Afghanistan and Ukraine, as well as increasing the provision of decent family appropriate Temporary Accommodation, via the £750m Local Authority Housing Fund.

“I would really like to put on record my gratitude to councils and their social housing partners for the significant contribution they have made in a short space of time to helping those affected.

“Because, when it comes to levelling up, there are few better places to start than by ensuring that everyone has a safe, decent and warm home.

“All of you are at the heart of our efforts to provide this safety net and springboard – and, indeed, at the heart of our long-term plan for housing, for economic growth, for building a stronger, fairer country.”