Andy Burnham’s Manchester Housing Blueprint and Its National Implications

Mayor Andy Burnham warns that rising housing costs threaten Manchester’s growth. With an average salary of £33,000-£38,000, the median house price of £248,000 (6.5 times earnings) and private rents of £1,349 per month (up 3 % YoY), affordability is strained. Temporary accommodation now houses 5,915 households, including 8,600 children, while a single-night count recorded 154 rough sleepers.

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Since taking office in 2017, Burnham introduced the Good Landlord Charter, requiring landlords to keep homes affordable and offering retrofit funding. He pursued compulsory-purchase powers for sub-standard rentals and advocated rent-control powers, though central government denied the request. Housebuilding accelerated: 3,864 new homes in 2024-25 (28 % increase), 12,000 under construction, and 7,500 with planning permission, 99.8 % on brownfield sites near transport. Funding streams include the £300 m Greater Manchester Housing Investment Fund (?11,000 homes since 2015) and the £1 bn Manchester Good Growth Fund launched in 2025. In May 2024, Burnham pledged 10,000 council homes by 2028 and secured £11.7 m for councils to purchase empty homes for homeless families.

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• Average house price (Mar 2026): £248,000.

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• Average private rent (Apr 2026): £1,349, 3 % rise YoY.

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• Temporary accommodation households: 5,915 (incl. 8,600 children).

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• Rough sleepers (snapshot): 154.

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• New homes built (2024-25): 3,864; under construction: 12,000; planning permission: 7,500.

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• Housing Investment Fund: £300 m, ?11,000 homes.

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• Good Growth Fund: £1 bn for housing and infrastructure.

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Burnham frames housing as essential to economic growth, arguing that unaffordable rent deters migration and risks a “London effect” in Greater Manchester. He stresses an “interventionist” stance, proposing compulsory purchases of empty homes and expanding council-built housing. Burnham cites Angela Rayner’s £39 bn social-housing commitment and calls for a national “Housing First” approach, where shelter precedes other interventions.

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Critics note that the Housing Investment Fund has been “criticised… for not focusing on social or affordable housing.” Central government’s refusal to grant rent-control powers limits Burnham’s toolkit. Some observers argue that the emphasis on high-rise private development may sideline affordable-housing targets.

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Sources differ on the perceived adequacy of the Investment Fund’s social-housing focus, with Burnham emphasizing overall housebuilding while critics highlight a lack of affordable units. Data on the exact proportion of new homes designated as social housing remain unspecified.

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• “Housing is a risk to growth,” — Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester

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• “If people can’t find places to rent, they won’t move here because it’s too difficult to live.” — Andy Burnham

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• “But we need to take a more interventionist stance.” — Andy Burnham

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• “Since the 1980s, housing has increasingly been treated as a commodity to be bought and sold. If you see housing purely like that, you end up with a housing crisis – and that’s exactly where we are,” — Andy Burnham

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The upcoming Makerfield by-election will test Burnham’s national ambitions. If appointed prime minister, he has signalled plans for a post-WWII-style mass housebuilding programme, expanded compulsory-purchase powers, and a push for nationwide “Housing First” policy. Continued funding through the Good Growth Fund and potential rent-control legislation remain focal points for future debate.

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