City property becoming 'less affordable' - mayor

Property in Salford is becoming "less affordable", despite efforts to build more homes, the city's mayor has said.

Paul Dennett warned that the cost of living in Salford was being pushed further out of reach for some residents as prices continued to surge.

A report by the council stated that 1,903 affordable homes were built between 2019/20 and 2024/25, a figure it described as a "very successful" number.

But data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that average rents and house prices were climbing.

"Despite us exceeding our housing targets, housing, property, rents have become less affordable in line with individual income and household income," Dennett said.

"I think it was Adam Smith who talked about if you increase supply it makes things more affordable, well apparently that does not happen in the city of Salford."

Swathes of the city have benefited from large-scale regeneration, including key areas around the city centre Greengate neighbourhood and Salford Quays.

But the average house price in Salford was £217,000 in March 2025, which is up 3.6% from March 2024, according to the ONS.

Homelessness was also found to be a major issue, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said, with 753 households in temporary accommodation as of October 2024, including more than 1,000 children.

The council has launched Salford's Good Homes Strategy which runs up until 2030.

It is aimed at creating a "continuous pipeline of new housing" across the city, with "maximised" affordable accommodation from its housing partners.

It includes a review of housing conditions around Salford, to make sure people are living in "good quality, safe, warm, dry, energy efficient" homes, which are "well managed".

The council's cabinet team approved the new housing strategy during a meeting at Salford Civic Centre earlier this week.

Tracy Kelly, Salford's deputy mayor and lead member for housing, said: "We're well aware that this is not in isolation with the council, it's a partnership approach.

"It's incumbent on all of our partners to work collaboratively to eradicate homelessness, temporary accommodation etcetera.

"This is not going to be a walk in the park, this is just the beginning really, we've got a lot to do."

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