Reform pledge to overhaul social housing to place British-born families 'at the front of the queue'

Reform UK are set to unveil fresh plans to overhaul the social housing system in the UK, by prioritising British-born youth over foreign nationals and asylum seekers.

Under these plans, British-born workers below the age of 35 will be "placed at the front of the queue", with priority awarded to married couples with children in a bid to ease the difficulties of getting on the housing ladder.

The party claim priority will also be given to veterans, and social housing will be prioritised for British nationals who are in work - standing on the view that social housing should "not be a reward for welfare".

Reform UK have earlier committed to removing foreign nationals from social housing entirely, pledging to evict them after a short grace period.

The move is expected to free up hundreds of thousands of social homes, with estimations of 540,000 social homes currently occupied by foreign nationals.

The party highlight how, of the 1.3 million currently on waiting lists, some 15 per cent are foreign nationals - around 195,0000 households.

Richard Tice MP, Reform UK Shadow Business, Energy and Trade Secretary, said: "There are now 1.3 million people waiting for social housing in Britain.

"The vast majority of them do not have jobs. In terms of the social houses we have, less than half of households are in work, and over half a million social homes are currently occupied by foreign nationals.

"Meanwhile, young British men and women, who are working hard, can’t afford to move out of their family home, and when they do often find themself sharing a house with strangers, with no realistic prospect of forming a family or getting on.

"It is time for us to prioritise young British workers, and that is what our policy is about.

"I have spent my entire career in property development, as a private citizen I have led companies which delivered thousands of new homes. In Government I will break down the barriers to getting generation rent onto the housing ladder.

"It is time to get Britain building. It is time for someone who understands how housing works to take charge. Let's give our young people the homes they deserve. Britain’s housing market is broken. Housing needs Reform."

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The proposed scheme is expected to be detailed at a press conference in central London tomorrow, where Mr Tice will also lay out the party’s vision to build 50,000 affordable social homes a year.

He will explain how the investment required for the scheme will be fiscally neutral, and will require no new taxes or borrowing.

The pledge will also introduce strict criteria for the maintenance of property and estates, with evictions for repeated breaches of standards.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that a record number of higher-earning households were moving into social housing, with more than 2,190 homes allocated to households earning at least £50,000 a year in 2024-25 - the highest level since records began in 2007.

The total is almost double the number recorded in the year before Labour entered Government, and marks a sharp increase from just 270 allocations to higher-earning households in 2021-22.

The figures reignited debate over who should qualify for subsidised housing, at a time when demand continues to outstrip supply.

Under Labour, plans are also said to be being considered that could see thousands of small boat migrants housed alongside social housing tenants.

Around 10,000 asylum seekers are expected to move into residential properties across London, the South East and Wales under the proposals, with some developments set to be shared between migrants and local authority tenants.

The plans emerged during a Home Affairs Select Committee hearing in June, where Clearspring Ready Homes, one of the Government's largest asylum accommodation providers, confirmed it is in talks with two councils over mixed-use housing schemes.

The company said the sites had originally been earmarked for social housing, but were considered too large to be used solely for that purpose.