More than 70,000 social and affordable homes to be built in England

More than 70,000 social and affordable homes are set to be built across England over the next 10 years under a new government funding package worth almost £10 billion ($13.65 billion).

The funding will go to Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North East England and Liverpool.

A further £6 billion ($8 billion) in funding had previously been announced for London.

The government says the funding is the first part of a wider £39 billion ($53 billion) program to deliver 300,000 social and affordable homes across England.

Around 60% of the homes announced in the latest allocation will be for social rent. These homes are typically rented at about half the cost of market rates, with strict eligibility criteria for tenants.

The decision comes despite calls from British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the entire 10-year £39 billion affordable housing budget to be used for social rent homes.

"I would actually devote all of it to social housing," Burnham told The Social Housing Podcast in May, before becoming prime minister.

But Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook rejected suggestions that the government had failed to meet Burnham's previous commitment.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Pennycook said the government had taken a "pragmatic approach" and wanted to "get money out the door."

He said the next tranche of funding would be more focused on council houses, which are generally rented at social rent levels.