Netherlands: paying councils €7,000 per affordable home actually built

The Dutch "Realisatiestimulans" went operational: municipalities register affordable homes whose construction starts in 2026 and receive €7,000 per unit, with first payouts this autumn — roughly €2.5bn to 2030 plus €900m reserved for vulnerable areas and council delivery capacity.

A pure delivery-side incentive: councils get cash for starts, not plans — the inverse of the UK's model of targets and plan-making duties, and straightforwardly adaptable as a UK policy ask.