The Social Housing Skills and Capacity Gap & Why 2026 Programmes are at Risk

Introduction

Across the UK, social housing providers are committing to ambitious programmes of planned maintenance, refurbishment and compliance led works. However, as we move further into 2026, a growing issue is threatening delivery across the sector. A widening skills and capacity gap.

For main contractors delivering social housing refurbishments and maintenance, securing reliable, skilled labour when it is needed has become one of the sector’s biggest challenges. This covers internal works, specialist trades, and supporting services essential to keeping programmes on track.

This pressure is being felt across both planned and reactive works, with contractors expected to maintain output, quality and resident satisfaction while operating in an increasingly constrained labour market.

The Growing Capacity Challenge

Several factors are converging to create pressure on contractor resources.

• An ageing construction workforce and fewer new entrants

• Increased workloads driven by compliance, safety and quality standards

• Multiple large scale programmes running concurrently across regions

• Shorter mobilisation times demanded by clients and frameworks

As a result, many contractors are finding that labour availability not contract wins is the limiting factor.

What This Means for Main Contractors

The impact of labour shortages is already being felt across social housing programmes.

• Programme delays caused by insufficient trade coverage

• Increased reliance on untested or overstretched subcontractors

• Pressure on site managers to maintain output and resident satisfaction

• Greater risk around compliance quality and reporting

In a sector where performance KPIs and tenant experience are under constant scrutiny, these risks can quickly affect long term relationships and future work opportunities.

Why Forward Planning Is No Longer Optional

The most successful contractors are now shifting from reactive resourcing to planned capacity strategies including.

• Securing subcontractor support well ahead of peak delivery periods

• Working with partners who can supply vetted compliant trade teams

• Scaling labour quickly across multiple regions when programmes ramp up

• Maintaining continuity of teams to protect quality and productivity

This approach not only protects programme delivery it also improves cost control and reduces operational stress.

How Empower Consulting Supports Contractors

At Empower Consulting, we work with main contractors across the UK to bridge the capacity gap in social housing delivery.

We provide access to:

• Pre-vetted subcontractor teams

• Trades experienced in social housing environments

• Flexible resource to support planned works, peaks and recovery periods

• A reliable alternative to last-minute labour sourcing

Our focus is simple: helping contractors maintain momentum, compliance and quality — even when workloads increase.

Conclusion

As social housing programmes continue to grow in scale and complexity, contractor success will increasingly depend on having the right labour in place at the right time.

Those who plan early and partner wisely will be best placed to deliver consistently in 2026 and beyond.

Find out more https://empowerconsulting.co.uk/