Nearly £10 billion has been allocated to councils and housing associations in the first wave of funding from the Government's £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, aimed at delivering more than 70,000 'genuinely affordable' homes across England, 60% of them for social rent. For the first time, 33 councils outside London have been designated as 'strategic partners' and trusted to build at scale, with more than £2 billion earmarked for mayoral areas including Greater Manchester (4,400 homes, £529 million), the West Midlands (3,200 homes, £409 million) and West Yorkshire (4,000 homes, £441 million). London will make at least £6 billion available separately, with its councils expected to deliver more than half the capital's homes. Andy Burnham, who has promised the biggest council housebuilding programme since the post-war era, said, 'No child should be raised in a hostel room’, with almost 180,000 children currently growing up without a permanent home. Housing secretary Angela Rayner called councils 'fundamental to turning the housing crisis around.' The Conservatives accused the government of 'backloading' funding beyond this parliament, noting some homes need not be delivered until 2039.